Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Pleads No longer Guilty

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• Keonne Rodriguez, co-founding father of Samourai pockets, pleaded now not guilty to charges of working a money transmitter and attention-grabbing in money laundering the day long past by
• Rodriguez, outdated 35, modified into launched on a $1 million bond
• The charges are linked to Rodriguez’s characteristic in creating and marketing the privateness-focused bitcoin pockets app

Keonne Rodriguez, co-founding father of the non-custodial bitcoin pockets Samourai, the day long past by entered a plea of now not guilty to accusations of working a money transmitter and attention-grabbing in money laundering. The charges stem from his involvement in creating and marketing the privateness-focused bitcoin pockets application and mixing service in association with William Hill, who modified into also arrested final week. Rodriguez, outdated 35, modified into launched on a $1 million bond, secured by his property in Harmony, Pennsylvania.

$2 Billion in Anonymous Transactions

Rodriguez and Hill were charged with facilitating over $2 billion in nameless transactions, largely from prison activities, between 2015 and February 2024. Their arrests followed an investigation between authorities within the US and Iceland, with the pockets and its accompanying mixing service shuttered consequently.

Prosecutors say that their platform facilitated higher than $100 million in money laundering transactions from illegal murky web markets. The charges against Rodriguez and Hill secure sparked an outcry at some stage within the crypto industry, with many expressing concerns about the aptitude criminalization of monetary privateness.

Two Weeks Until Next Look

Rodriguez appeared in a The enormous apple court docket the day long past by, where he entered a plea of now not guilty, with bail region at $1 million. The start stipulations comprise strict monitoring, with his actions tracked via geolocation technology, and confinement to his region, other than for court docket complaints.

He’s also prohibited from working, working for, or performing products and services for Samourai Wallet and is specific from contacting Hill except within the presence of ethical counsel, with the latter going via extradition from Portugal to face the same charges.

Rodriguez will appear next in The enormous apple on Might well maybe maybe 14, ahead of District Decide Richard Berman.