U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the administration will halt all sales of seized Bitcoin and instead add it to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
A U.S. official denied reports that the bitcoin forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers was sold and said it will remain on the government’s balance sheet in compliance with President Trump’s executive order.
As Keonne Rodriguez prepares to surrender to federal prison on December 18, advocates urge President Trump to pardon the Samourai Wallet co-founders, citing prosecutorial misconduct and a disputed interpretation of unlicensed money transmission laws that even FinCEN rejects.
As Trump vows to defend self-custody, the outcome of this landmark case could halt CBDC surveillance and bolster U.S. innovation in cryptographic finance.
Samourai Wallet co-founder William Hill was sentenced to four years in prison for running a crypto mixing service that laundered over $237 million in illicit funds.
15 months after being charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, the Samourai Wallet founders have pled guilty to the latter charge.
In a letter to the Southern District of New York (SDNY), the defense in the Samourai Wallet case illustrate why a hearing on the prosecution’s withholding key information in the case is in order.