US prosecutors seek up to 5 years in prison for the two founders of Samourai Wallet

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York stated in a sentencing memorandum that Samourai Wallet founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill solicited criminal users on the dark web and described "mixing" as "bitcoin money laundering." Both have pleaded guilty to "operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and involvement with criminal funds," and prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison under 18 U.S.C. §371.

Authorities stated that the service laundered at least $237 million from 2015 to 2024, with the two collecting fees totaling approximately 246.3 BTC (currently worth about $269 million). Rodriguez will be sentenced on November 6, and Hill will be sentenced the following day.