Samourai Wallet’s Co-Founder Seeks Trump’s Pardon Amid 5-Year Sentence

Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet Samourai, has launched a public campaign seeking a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump for himself and fellow co-founder William Hill. This follows their recent convictions for operating an unlicensed money transmitter.

Prosecutors pushed for the full five years for both, calling Samourai a massive money laundering service. However, the duo were given five and four-year prison terms respectively. 

Samourai Wallet and the Case

Samourai Wallet was a well-known Bitcoin wallet that emphasized user privacy. It offered features like Whirlpool, which mixed coins, and Ricochet, which hid transaction details. Launched in 2015, it allowed users to retain control over their funds while improving transaction privacy. However, U.S. authorities saw these features as tools for money laundering, similar to the Tornado Cash case. 

As a result, the FBI and DOJ shut down the service in April 2024, leading to the arrest of Rodriguez and Hill. On July 30, 2025, both co-founders pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Although prosecutors dropped the more serious charges, the claim that Rodriguez and Hill intentionally marketed the wallet to criminals was sustained. 

They alleged that the wallet processed over $2 billion in Bitcoin transactions, including about $237 million from illegal sources such as darknet markets, hacks, and sanctioned entities. The prosecutors said that the two individuals promoted the wallet on dark web forums, where they called coin mixing “money laundering for Bitcoin.”

The Push for a Trump Pardon

Following their conviction, U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote on November 6, 2025, imposed the maximum sentence of five years on Rodriguez, while Hill received a shorter term of four years yesterday. Additionally, both must pay a $250,000 fine and forfeit assets related to approximately $237 million in alleged illegal transactions. 

Reacting to the sentencing, Rodriguez took to his official X page to ask supporters to sign a petition requesting clemency from Trump. The defense highlighted Trump’s recent crypto pardons as precedent.

Meanwhile, the crypto community on social media is raising its voice in support of the pardon, but the White House has not yet responded. The co-founders are waiting to see the outcome of their pleas.

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