coinspress.com
Samourai Wallet's founders, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, are facing serious federal charges for alleged involvement in a money laundering conspiracy, reflecting heightened scrutiny on cryptocurrency tools used for fund mixing.
The Department of Justice’s move has stirred controversy, with critics arguing that the founders shouldn’t be held accountable for users’ actions. However, authorities allege that Rodriguez and Hill designed a mixing service that facilitated over $100 million in money laundering transactions from dark web markets, totaling $2 billion since the wallet’s inception in 2015.
The duo purportedly earned significant fees from their mixing services, offering various features with different pool fees. Charges include conspiracy to commit money laundering and operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, with potential maximum sentences of 20 and five years, respectively.
According to the Department of Justice, Rodriguez and Hill allegedly encouraged users to launder criminal proceeds through their mixer, supported by evidence from tweets and private messages. The app reportedly gained over 100,000 downloads.
Amid the allegations, CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju has defended Samourai Wallet and its founders. He argued that crypto mixing enhances privacy and isn’t inherently illegal, comparing the case to punishing the inventor of a knife instead of its user.