Developer of Bitcoin App Samourai Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Keonne Rodriguez, the developer of the Samourai Wallet app, has been sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in operating an unlicensed money transmitter. Along with the prison sentence, he has been fined $250,000. Rodriguez's work with the Samourai Wallet allowed users to mix their Bitcoin transactions, obscuring the movement of coins. U.S. authorities shut down the platform last year and arrested Rodriguez along with William Lonergan Hill, claiming they overlooked the use of the app by criminals. Hill is facing sentencing on November 19. The case underscores ongoing regulatory scrutiny in the cryptocurrency space, particularly regarding services that enable transaction anonymity.

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