Samourai Wallet Developer Keonne Rodriguez Receives Maximum Sentence for Crypto Crime

Keonne Rodriguez, a developer of the Samourai Wallet, was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in a cryptocurrency crime scheme. This ruling follows his guilty plea concerning conspiracy related to a money transmitting business.

Key Takeaways

Keonne Rodriguez was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a cryptocurrency crime.
He was ordered to pay $250,000 and will face three years of supervised release after his prison term.
Rodriguez's sentencing follows his guilty plea along with another developer for conspiracy related to a money transmitting business.
The developers were accused of laundering over $200 million through their Bitcoin wallet service.

Courtroom Illustration

Rodriguez Sentenced to Five Years

On Thursday, Keonne Rodriguez, a developer of the Samourai Wallet, received the maximum sentence of five years in prison for his involvement in a significant digital asset scheme. As reported by Inner City Press correspondent Matthew Russell Lee, Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York handed down the 60-month sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, Rodriguez has been required to pay $250,000, which represents 20% of his gross monthly income. He will remain free on bail until his designated date to report to prison on December 19. “I am sorry and will never break the law again,” Rodriguez reportedly stated.

Consequences for Samourai Wallet Developers

This news of Rodriguez’s sentencing arrives just a few months after he and another Samourai Wallet developer, William Lonergan Hill, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving the operation of a money transmitting business. According to federal prosecutors, the developers used the crypto app to effectively process crime proceeds from phishing schemes and transactions on dark web marketplaces to defraud various decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, as detailed in an August 2025 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Together, Hill and Lonergan admitted to launching a Bitcoin wallet that the U.S. government alleges was involved in laundering over $200 million in illicit transactions. They eventually agreed to forfeit more than $237 million as part of their guilty plea. “The guilty pleas of Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill demonstrate that their cryptocurrency mixing service – Samourai Wallet – was designed to hide illegal financial transactions and launder millions of dollars in illicit funds,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to hold accountable anyone who uses technological advancements for illegal activities,” he further emphasized.