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Legal Troubles for Samourai Wallet Developer
Keonne Rodriguez, a developer for the Samourai Wallet, has recently been faced with criminal charges and has entered a plea of not guilty. Until his trial, he will be placed under home incarceration. His bail conditions, as detailed in an April 26 docket entry, require a $1 million personal recognizance bond to be secured by May 14. This bond must be co-signed by two individuals and secured with property located in Pennsylvania.
Bail Conditions and Restrictions
As part of the bail conditions, Rodriguez will be placed under home incarceration and will be monitored through pretrial supervision and location tracking technology. He is only allowed to travel within specific districts in New York and Pennsylvania, along with connecting areas. Additionally, Rodriguez is prohibited from engaging in any cryptocurrency transactions without prior approval, operating or being employed by Samourai Wallet, opening bank accounts or lines of credit without permission, and possessing firearms or weapons.
Furthermore, Rodriguez is not allowed to contact his co-defendant, William Lonergan Hill, unless in the presence of legal counsel. His right to a speedy trial has also been suspended until May 14.
Crackdown on Samourai Wallet
Rodriguez’s arrest in the United States on April 24 coincided with US authorities beginning the extradition process for Hill, who was apprehended in Portugal and has yet to make a court appearance. Both individuals are facing charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, carrying a possible 25-year prison sentence.
It is alleged that Rodriguez and Hill were accomplices in illegal Bitcoin transactions totaling $2 billion, as well as facilitating $100 million in money laundering from dark web markets through the Samourai platform. They purportedly profited from sizable fees collected during these illicit transactions.
Following the charges, authorities moved to shut down the Samourai Wallet app by seizing its website and Google Play listing. The crackdown marks a significant escalation in the legal troubles facing Rodriguez and Hill.
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