CoinDeskPolicyPublished on 2024-04-28Last updated on 2024-04-29

Abstract

Rodriguez, 35, will remain on house arrest in Pennsylvania until his trial.

NEW YORK — Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to two criminal charges tied to creating and marketing the privacy-focused bitcoin wallet application and mixing service in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday.

Rodriguez, 35, and his Samourai Wallet co-founder William Lonergan Hill, 65, were arrested last week – Rodriguez in Pennsylvania and Hill in Portugal – and charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years and five years, respectively.

Prosecutors have alleged that, between 2015 and the seizure of Samourai Wallet’s servers last week, the app “facilitated more than $100 million in money laundering transactions from illegal dark web markets,” and around $2 billion total in “unlawful transactions.”

Advertisement
Advertisement

The arrests and shutdown of Samourai Wallet come as the U.S. government prepares for its case against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, and have led to an outcry among many in the crypto industry, who believe the case is a sign the government is attempting to criminalize financial privacy.

In the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) press release announcing the pair’s arrest last week, prosecutors said that Rodriguez and Hill “encouraged and openly invited users to launder criminal proceeds” and considered “restricted markets” to be a target demographic.

Rodriguez was initially arrested around 6 a.m. at his home in Harmony, Penn. on April 24. He was subsequently released by a Pennsylvania judge on a $25,000 bond and ordered to present himself before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) on Monday morning.

Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses ruled to release Rodriguez on a $1 million bond on Monday, accepting the conditions set in a bail package that both federal prosecutors and Rodriguez’s lawyers – Sean Buckley and Michael Keilty of international law firm Kobre Kim – had agreed to.

Rodriguez’s bond will be secured by real estate in Pennsylvania and the signature of his wife and another family member. Other than traveling to and from court proceedings, Rodriguez will remain at home and will be monitored by location tracking technology.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Rodriguez’s next hearing will be in Manhattan on May 14 at 2 p.m. in front of District Judge Richard Berman.

Berman oversaw Mango Markets exploiter Avraham Eisenberg’s trial earlier this year.

Related Reads

Foundation Steps Back, Ethlabs Steps Forward: Ethereum Undergoes Its Largest Restructuring in History

On June 23rd, the Ethereum ecosystem witnessed two major shifts, signaling a significant governance realignment. First, former Ethereum Foundation researchers established Ethlabs, a new independent non-profit. Backed by major ETH holders like Bitmine and SharpLink, Ethlabs aims to address practical needs for institutional adoption, including faster settlement, native asset issuance, cross-chain transactions, and mainnet scaling. Secondly, the Ethereum Foundation announced a major restructuring, laying off 54 employees (20% of its staff) to become a leaner entity focused on protocol governance and maintenance rather than being the primary builder. This move represents a pivotal correction. Criticisms had mounted over the Foundation's perceived slowness, lack of clear strategy, and over-reliance on Vitalik Buterin's influence. Ethlabs emerges as a more execution-oriented, "industrialized" layer focused on market adoption—bridging the gap between research and real-world use. Notably, Vitalik Buterin is absent from its list of supporters, interpreted as an intentional step to avoid excessive personal endorsement and allow the organization to build independent credibility. The Ethereum Foundation's downsizing and redefinition mark a retreat from its former central coordinating role. It now aims to share the "privilege of stewarding Ethereum" with other emerging groups like Ethlabs, the Ethereum Applications Guild, and The Ethereum Economic Zone. Analysts frame this dual shift as the Foundation ensuring Ethereum remains "correct" (credibly neutral), while Ethlabs must prove it remains "effective" (competitive and attractive for capital and adoption). This addresses community "shareholder-like anxiety" about ETH's market performance. While risks exist—such as concerns over shifting from Foundation centrality to large-holder influence—the consensus is that the greater risk for Ethereum was inaction, caught between technical idealism and organizational inertia. These steps aim to create a more multi-stakeholder, execution-driven future for the network.

链捕手3h ago

Foundation Steps Back, Ethlabs Steps Forward: Ethereum Undergoes Its Largest Restructuring in History

链捕手3h ago

Second Half of U.S. Crypto Policy: The Clarity Act Aims for 60 Votes, CFTC's "One-Person Commission" Becomes Biggest Variable

In a pivotal year for US crypto policy, the "CLARITY Act" is advancing in the Senate but faces a high hurdle, needing 60 votes to pass. Key challenges include bridging partisan divides on ethics and swaying undecided Republican senators within a tight legislative calendar of only about 40 working days. The policy "second half" involves intense negotiations on a broader framework for Web3 and DeFi, including crypto tax reforms and the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act. A significant uncertainty is the understaffed CFTC, operating with four commissioner vacancies, which complicates regulatory clarity. Meanwhile, the departure of key "crypto champions"—SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce and Senator Cynthia Lummis—will impact ongoing policy efforts. Industry experts are cautiously optimistic but realistic. Sara K. Weed notes that while progress is being made, CLARITY is unlikely to pass this Congress, pushing agencies like the SEC and CFTC to provide more guidance. Sulolit Mukherjee suggests meaningful crypto tax legislation is more likely to be attached to larger must-pass bills. Rashan Colbert discusses the jurisdictional debate over prediction markets, emphasizing the need for a regulatory framework that fosters their development as financial tools rather than treating them broadly as gambling. The clock is ticking, but opportunities remain for substantive progress through continued bipartisan dialogue and pragmatic efforts.

marsbit6h ago

Second Half of U.S. Crypto Policy: The Clarity Act Aims for 60 Votes, CFTC's "One-Person Commission" Becomes Biggest Variable

marsbit6h ago

Research Report Analysis: Morgan Stanley Details SanDisk SNDK, The Truth About Cloud Data Center Pricing Power and AI Inference Benefits

Morgan Stanley raised its price target for SanDisk (SNDK) from $1100 to $1750 on June 22, maintaining an Overweight rating. The upgrade is driven by AI inference demand reshaping the NAND market, particularly for KV Cache and context window storage in cloud data centers. These cloud clients exhibit price inelasticity and sign long-term contracts, granting SanDisk significant pricing power. SanDisk's New Business Model (NBM) agreements, covering over one-third of FY27 bit shipments with 3-5 year terms and fixed price/price collar structures, are crucial. They are projected to sustain gross margins around 80% even at floor prices, providing a buffer against cyclical downturns. Morgan Stanley forecasts gross margins to surge from 30.3% in FY25 to 86.7% in FY27e. With NAND supply expected to remain tight into 2026/2027 and cloud/data centers becoming the largest end-market, SanDisk holds supply-side pricing power. The company targets 15-19% bit growth via technology transitions, not capacity expansion. Revenue is projected to grow ~6.6x from FY25 to FY27, with EPS rising from $2.74 to $14.73, driven by high-margin cloud business. Key upside catalysts include faster enterprise SSD adoption and edge AI growth. Downside risks involve slower industry growth, competitor capex increases, market share loss, and competition from Chinese players like YMTC. The investment thesis rests on AI-driven structural demand, NBM's margin protection, and sustained supply tightness. The $1750 target implies ~28x FY27e P/E.

marsbit7h ago

Research Report Analysis: Morgan Stanley Details SanDisk SNDK, The Truth About Cloud Data Center Pricing Power and AI Inference Benefits

marsbit7h ago

Trading

Spot
Futures
活动图片