Samourai Wallet Developer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Keonne Rodriguez, a developer of Samourai Wallet, has been sentenced to five years in prison for creating a bitcoin mixing service implicated in laundering $237 million in illegal funds. The sentence was delivered by District Judge Denise Cote in New York after a hearing in which prosecutors emphasized Rodriguez's role in facilitating the laundering of money from various criminal activities, including drug trafficking and fraud. Rodriguez and his co-developer, William Lonergan Hill, originally faced charges carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years but opted for a plea deal that allowed them to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Rodriguez’s lawyers argued for a lighter sentence of one year and a day but were unsuccessful. Hill's sentencing is scheduled for the following day. The case highlights ongoing legal scrutiny surrounding cryptocurrency mixing services, which authorities claim can obscure transaction origins.

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