Bitcoin Laundering Case: Samourai Wallet Founders Plead Guilty to Operating Unlicensed Money Transmission, $237 Million Laundered (246.3 BTC in Fees)

COINOTAG News, citing Decrypt, reports that prosecutors in the US Southern District of New York have filed a sentencing memorandum alleging that Keonne Rodriguez, founder of Samourai Wallet, and associate William Lonergan Hill lured illicit users on the dark web and described coin mixing as Bitcoin laundering. The pair has pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and money laundering, with prosecutors seeking up to five years in prison under 18 U.S.C. § 371. Authorities say the service laundered at least $237 million from 2015 to 2024 and collected roughly 246.3 BTC in fees (valued today at about $269 million).

Rodriguez is slated for sentencing on November 6, with Hill scheduled to follow the next day, according to the filing. The case highlights ongoing regulatory scrutiny and enforcement actions targeting illicit crypto activity and the role of mixing services in the broader cryptocurrency crime landscape.

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