Samourai Wallet Developer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Keonne Rodriguez, a developer of the Samourai Wallet, was sentenced to five years in prison by District Judge Denise Cote for creating a bitcoin mixing service allegedly used to launder $237 million in illicit funds. Rodriguez’s sentence is the maximum allowed for his crime, following a plea deal in which he and fellow developer William Lonergan Hill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. The prosecution argued that the service facilitated various criminal activities, including drug trafficking and cyber crimes. Rodriguez’s defense suggested a much lighter sentence of just over a year. His partner, Hill, is scheduled for sentencing soon, while another developer involved with a related case, Roman Storm, was previously found guilty of similar charges, indicating ongoing scrutiny around privacy-focused cryptocurrency tools.

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