Samourai Wallet Developer Denied Modified Bail
Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Samourai Wallet, has been denied a request to modify his bail conditions, including the removal of home detention, by Judge Richard M. Berman. Rodriguez, alongside co-founder William Lonergan Hill, faces money laundering charges related to their development of the Samourai Wallet, a cryptocurrency anonymization tool.
In the hearing, the defense argued that Rodriguez had no intention of fleeing and had complied with court orders, citing his cooperation even after law enforcement attempted to access Samourai-related servers in March 2024. The defense also sought to lift restrictions preventing Rodriguez from making cryptocurrency transactions, but Judge Berman denied the motion before those arguments were presented.
Prosecutors presented handwritten documents recovered from Rodriguez's residence, which they alleged detailed plans to flee the country. The documents reportedly included plans to travel undetected, learn Spanish, and carry multiple passports, burner phones, and cash. While the defense contested the relevance of these documents, U.S. Attorney Andrew K. Chan argued that the elaborate planning and the potential 25-year sentence for Rodriguez made him a flight risk. Judge Berman agreed, ruling that the documents supported the government's position to deny bail modification.
The next hearing is scheduled for December 17, where the defense plans to argue for the dismissal of the charges. They contend that the prosecution’s claims do not meet the criteria for money laundering and have pointed to a bipartisan letter from U.S. Senators arguing that cryptocurrency anonymization services like Samourai Wallet should not be considered money transmitters under current law.
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