Samourai Wallet Founders Admit to Money Laundering Charges

Co-founders of the cryptocurrency wallet Samourai Wallet, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, have decided to plead guilty to money laundering charges. Their lawyers submitted the relevant motions to the federal court in New York.

Rodriguez and Hill are accused of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmission business. The maximum penalty for the first charge is 20 years in prison, and for the second, five years. In total, they face up to 25 years in prison.

A hearing to change the plea has already taken place. How this will affect the sentence remains unknown. The trial is scheduled for November 3.

Developments in the Case

In April 2024, the service’s founders were arrested on charges of facilitating the laundering of $100 million in criminal proceeds. According to authorities, since 2015, Samourai Wallet has processed anonymous transactions totaling $2 billion.

On April 29, Rodriguez was released on a $1 million bail, secured by property in Pennsylvania and signatures from his wife and another family member. At that time, he pleaded not guilty to operating an unlicensed payment business and laundering criminal proceeds. 

Hill was released in July on a $2 million bail, with $200,000 in cash and the remainder secured by his family home in New York.

In May 2025, prosecutors rejected the defense’s accusations of concealing important information and refused to withdraw the lawsuit, continuing the legal proceedings.