Samourai Wallet Developer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Keonne Rodriguez, a developer of the Samourai Wallet, has been sentenced to five years in prison for creating a bitcoin mixing service implicated in laundering $237 million from various criminal activities, including drug trafficking and cyber crimes. District Judge Denise Cote issued the maximum sentence following a hearing where prosecutors argued for harsh penalties due to the severity of the crimes tied to the wallet. Rodriguez, along with fellow developer William Lonergan Hill, had faced charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. They accepted a plea deal in July, pleading guilty to lesser charges. Rodriguez's attorneys had recommended a lighter sentence of just over a year, but the court decided to align with the prosecution's recommendation. Hill is scheduled for sentencing soon, and both cases have drawn comparisons to the trial of another crypto developer, Roman Storm, associated with Tornado Cash.

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