Samourai Wallet

Note: This case is debated — privacy advocates view it as a test of open-source software liability — but the founders pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitter, and prosecutors presented evidence they marketed the service to criminals.

Summary

Samourai Wallet was a privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet offering coin-mixing tools — "Whirlpool" (CoinJoin mixing) and "Ricochet" (adding hops to obscure trails). The DOJ said that from 2015–2024 it moved more than 80,000 BTC (over $2 billion), earned about $6 million in fees, and operated as an unlicensed money-transmitting business that laundered well over $100 million (prosecutors cited ~$237 million) of proceeds from darknet markets, fraud, and other crimes. ^[1][2]

Prosecution

Founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill were arrested in April 2024 (Hill in Portugal). Prosecutors presented messages in which Hill promoted Samourai on the darknet forum Dread to "clean dirty BTC" and Rodriguez described mixing as "money laundering for Bitcoin." Both pleaded guilty in July 2025 to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business (the broader money-laundering count was dropped) and agreed to forfeit ~$237.8 million. ^[1][2]

Outcome

Rodriguez was sentenced to 60 months (Nov 6, 2025) and Hill to 48 months (Nov 19, 2025), each with a $250,000 fine and supervised release. ^[1][2]

Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.