4 days left until imprisonment! Trump considers pardoning Samourai Wallet co-founder

U.S. President Trump (Donald Trump) on Monday stated that he will consider pardoning Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the Crypto Tumbler / Crypto Mixer Samourai Wallet.

Trump was asked about this during a media interview at the White House on Monday. He said, “I’ve heard about this, I will look into it,” and immediately instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was present, to review the case.

Trump added that he is not currently familiar with the details of the case, “but we will find out the truth.”

Samourai Wallet is a Bitcoin wallet focused on privacy protection, with its core feature being “mixing services,” which obfuscate the source and destination of funds in transactions, enhancing user anonymity.

During the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested Keonne Rodriguez and another co-founder William Lonergan Hill on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed remittance business. Prosecutors accused that although Samourai Wallet is officially a “privacy tool,” it has become a hotbed for criminals to launder stolen funds, assisting in laundering up to $237 million.

After both founders of Samourai Wallet admitted to their crimes in July this year, they were sentenced to 5 and 4 years in prison respectively. William Lonergan Hill received a slightly lighter sentence due to his age and autism.

Earlier, Trump had pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web marketplace “Silk Road,” who was sentenced to two life terms for operating a platform that traded drugs and illegal goods using Bitcoin; Silk Road is also widely regarded as one of the early catalysts for Bitcoin’s popularity.

Additionally, in October, Trump pardoned former Binance CEO Zhao Changpeng (CZ), declaring that “the war against the cryptocurrency industry by the Biden administration is over.”

In response to Trump’s latest statement, Keonne Rodriguez immediately posted on social platform X:

I’ve always believed that the biggest obstacle in securing pardons for me and Bill was getting President Trump to notice this case.

He should be well aware of how a weaponized Biden DOJ is hunting down political opponents… If he carefully reviews our case, he will surely recognize some familiar signs, and I believe he will make the right decision.

Besides thanking Trump and the crypto community, Keonne Rodriguez also expressed heavy-heartedness, noting that only 4 days remain before he must enter federal prison FPC Morgantown to serve his sentence. This has made the possibility of a pardon the last hope that the crypto community is holding their breath for.

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Tags: Donald Trump, Keonne Rodriguez, Samourai Wallet, William Lonergan Hill, Trump, money laundering, Crypto Tumbler / Crypto Mixer, pardon, amnesty