Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez was sentenced to the maximum prison sentence this week after pleading guilty in a US federal case linked to tools that allowed Bitcoin users to try to hide their transactions.
According to court files, Wholesale It aims to close the chapter that began with the unsealing of the indictment in April 2024.
Arguments and judgment dates
According to court documents, Rodriguez pleaded guilty sinner In mid-2025 to run an unlicensed money transfer business. The plea did not include all of the charges in the original indictment but led to a sentencing hearing being scheduled.
On November 6, 2025, a judge imposed the longest prison sentence, 5 years, sought by the prosecution on this charge. Its co-founder, William Lonergan Hill, faces related proceedings after his arrest abroad; Extradition efforts are underway.
Defense: Unlike SBF, he lived in a $250,000 home in Harmony, Pennsylvania. He’s an engineer. He is a warm family man.
Keon Rodriguez: I agree with what my lawyer said. My message, I wanted it to be personal. I’ve been silent for 18 months. I wanted to bring my story to you– Inner City Press (innercitypress) November 6, 2025
Samurai Wallet: Claims and Figures
According to the Ministry of Justice. Samurai wallet The associated services processed nearly $2 billion in transactions that the government says involved money tied to illegal activity.
Prosecutors say more than $100 million in criminal proceeds were laundered through features that allow users to shuffle coins or route them through extra hops.
The tools at the heart of the case — known as Whirlpool and Ricochet — were repeatedly mentioned in the filings as methods that made tracking the money difficult. The government also said the founders marketed these features in ways they said attracted bad actors.
Records show that the charge of conducting an unlicensed money transfer business carries a prison sentence of up to five years. The federal Probation Office had suggested a shorter term, recommending about 42 months, but prosecutors asked the court to impose the full five-year prison sentence.
These numbers were based on court documents and public statements from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The accusations narrowed and the questions remained
Reports They determined that the defendants did not plead guilty to each of the charges in the original complaint, with the plea agreement leaving some charges unresolved.
That has left defense attorneys and outside experts to focus on what the case means for software developers and privacy tools working in the cryptocurrency space.
The legal filings reflect a complex array of criminal allegations and regulatory matters, and in various hearings, both parties have used technical and legal arguments.
Legal and societal reactions
The sentence has been derived with sharp takes from different angles. Privacy advocates warn that criminal penalties targeting developers could discourage open source work and place new restrictions on the tools ordinary people use to protect their financial privacy.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Editing process Bitcoinist focuses on providing well-researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We adhere to strict sourcing standards, and every page is carefully reviewed by our team of senior technology experts and experienced editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content to our readers.
The post Keonne Rodriguez Sentenced To The Maximum first appeared on Investorempires.com.
