Crypto Chaos: Samourai Wallet Founders May Face Jail Time 😬💸

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So, apparently, Samourai Wallet founders might be swapping their laptops for prison jumpsuits-potentially for five whole years. U.S. prosecutors are not messing around, pushing for maximum sentencing because these guys allegedly ran a crypto mixing service that made shady money look like digital fairy dust. 🪄💰

Samourai Wallet became the ultimate criminal hangout spot for laundering money and dodging sanctions. 🕵️‍♂️💸

“Rodriguez and Hill weren’t just sipping lattes while the shady stuff happened-they actively wanted criminals to use Samourai,” the filing says. So basically, they were the life of the (dark) party. 🥳

Prosecutors even dug up a 2018 WhatsApp message where Rodriguez casually described mixing as “money laundering for bitcoin.” Yup, fully aware. No surprises here. 🙄

Hill apparently pitched the service on dark web forums like Dread, hyping Samourai’s Whirlpool as a way to “clean dirty BTC” and make transactions “untraceable.” So, if you wanted your digital coins scrubbed cleaner than your kitchen counter after a serious spring clean, these were your guys. 🧽💻

Through Samourai, the pair allegedly earned millions laundering proceeds from drug trafficking, dark web marketplaces (including horror stories we won’t even detail here), cyber fraud, and sanctions evasion. Between 2015 and 2024, their fees allegedly totaled $6.3 million-roughly 246.3 BTC, which today would be worth a jaw-dropping $26.9 million. 💸📈

Prosecutors push for max sentence

The feds are waving the big stick and want the full five-year term under 18 U.S.C. § 371. Meanwhile, the probation office is like, “Hey, maybe 42 months will do.” The judge will now have the final word, with sentencing set for Nov. 6 for Rodriguez and Nov. 7 for Hill. ⏰⚖️

The saga of Samourai Wallet

For anyone blissfully unaware, Samourai Wallet was shut down in April 2024 for running unlicensed money transmission and basically being a digital laundromat for criminals. Rodriguez got arrested in the U.S., Hill in Portugal (before being extradited). Both pleaded guilty in July 2025 to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business knowing the funds came from criminal activity. Moral of the story? Crypto isn’t just about memes and moon shots. 🚀💀

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2025-11-04 11:50