Privacy-Focused Bitcoin Developer Sentenced to Five Years
Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Samourai Wallet, was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of charges relating to his wallet software enabling criminals to launder millions in bitcoin. This prison term was the maximum allowed under the charges.
Community Reaction and Context
Some members of the crypto community view the sentencing as harsh, especially when compared to lenient treatment given to others in the cryptocurrency space. Notably, this ruling came just weeks after Binance co-founder Chengpang “CZ” Zhao was pardoned by President Trump for money laundering allegations connected to his leadership at the crypto exchange.
Judge’s Statement
“His business marketed itself to the criminal world. He literally laundered criminal money. There is no recognition of the human suffering that was facilitated by the defendant.” — Judge Cote
Prosecutors’ Claims
Authorities argued that Samourai Wallet’s features, Ricochet and Whirlpool, boosted user privacy while assisting criminals in laundering illicit funds. Although many Bitcoin users insisted the software was purely open-source, there was occasional centralization, and Samourai servers collected fees despite being described as non-custodial.
Additional Notes
At the time of sentencing, Rodriguez was involved in a project attempting to recover stolen funds after hacks.
“Pending sentence he's been engaged in a project to recover money from hacks.” — Inner City Press, November 6, 2025
Author’s summary: Keonne Rodriguez received a maximum five-year sentence amid controversy, highlighting tensions between privacy advocates and law enforcement in cryptocurrency regulation.