Samourai Wallet Developer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Keonne Rodriguez, a developer of the Samourai Wallet, was sentenced to five years in prison for creating a bitcoin mixing service linked to the laundering of $237 million in illicit funds. District Judge Denise Cote gave the maximum sentence after prosecutors argued that Rodriguez and his co-developer, William Lonergan Hill, knowingly laundered proceeds from various criminal activities, including drug trafficking and fraud, using Samourai Wallet. The pair initially faced more severe charges but arranged a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Despite a year-long fight in court, they opted for the plea deal, which resulted in a significant reduction in their potential prison time. Rodriguez's attorneys had sought a much shorter sentence, but the judge emphasized the seriousness of the charges. Hill's sentencing is set for the next day, as he was part of the same case.

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