Trump Says He Will Look At Samourai Wallet Co-Founder’s Case

US President Donald Trump says that he will review the case of convicted Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez and potentially explore a pardon.

That comes after Trump has issued pardons for other crypto founders and developers throughout the year amid a broader de-regulation push of the digital asset space. 

Trump Says He Will Look Into Samourai Wallet Developer’s Case

Samourai Wallet co-founders Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill were sentenced on Nov. 19 to five and four years in prison, respectively. Their charges stem from their involvement in the crypto mixing protocol.

Both co-founders had initially pleaded not guilty but then agreed to plead guilty to the charge of operating an illegal money transmitter in July. 

Rodriguez and Hill subsequently faced at least 25 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The first charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, while the second carries a sentence of up to five years. 

When asked if he will consider a pardon for Rodriguez at a press conference about the Mexican border at the White House on Monday, Trump said that he has “heard about” the case, and that he will “look at it.” 

“Okay, let’s take a look at it. You know, you’ll have to tell me. I don’t know anything about it, but we’ll take a look,” he added.

Rodriguez Says “Noise Is Working”

Privacy advocates have long been advocating for Rodriguez and Hill, along with Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm. They argue that developers should not be held responsible for the actions of users of the software that the developers have created. 

In an X post on Monday, Rodriguez, who is set to begin his time behind bars this week, thanked his supporters for the “continued noise” that he says is working. 

Rodriguez says “noise is working” (Source: X)

“Thank you to everyone pushing Donald Trump to pardon Bill and me. Let’s get this over the line,” he wrote. 

Rodriguez said in an interview with Bitcoin educator Natalie Brunell this past Friday that he thought there was a chance that he would receive a pardon if his case was presented to Trump and the top officials of his administration. 

He also referenced the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which he says was weaponized against Trump by the previous administration. Rodriguez believes that if Trump is presented with the facts in his case, that he will see that he was also a victim of the weaponized DOJ. 

Trump Has Pardoned High-Profile Crypto Figures This Year

Since entering the White House for a second term in January, Trump has issued pardons for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and Ross Ulbricht. 

CZ pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act in November 2023 for failing to implement proper anti-money laundering (AML) and know-you-customer (KYC) controls at the exchange during his time as the platform’s CEO. 

Binance had to pay a $4.3 billion fine to regulators and CZ had to step down as CEO as part of the plea deal. Additionally, CZ served four months in prison. 

After issuing the pardon, Trump said that CZ was the target of the Biden administration’s “witch hunt.” 

Ulbricht, the founder of the defunct marketplace the Silk Road, also received a pardon from Trump on his life sentence. 

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