Seems like the crypto lobby is gaining serious power and the current political vibes in the US are giving a boost to the big crypto players.
A bunch of cases against crypto firms have been dropped, but the Samurai developers are still facing the heat. They even admitted guilt not too long ago.
So, is the Trump administration really about "freedom" when it comes to crypto?
What do you call freedom? In America, the issue of non-custodial storage and the ability to accept cryptocurrency without licensed payment agents has still not been resolved.
On the one hand, the crypto industry is developing, but on the other, it's even more strictly regulated than banking.
The DOJ continues to target developers deemed to be knowingly aiding the flow of "criminal funds". So, this is more about legal red lines than any government's pro/anti-crypto stance.
We haven't seen any new cases since the beginning of the Trump administration. Many prosecutions have been resolved, so this period is better than the Biden administration in terms of tightening regulations.
As for Samurai Devs, they are likely trying to obtain information from them related to money laundering.
Trump isn't going to just wipe the slate clean on all prosecutions, things do not work like that. Trump is the POTUS, and not some sort of crypto freedom fighter, however, his administration is much better for crypto than that of the past administration.
I understand why Samourai wallet devs had to cut a plea deal with the prosecution and change their plea from not guilty to guilty. The deal was 'fair', pleading guilty struck out the money laundering charge, which has a maximum sentence of 20 years. They pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and the maximum sentence for that is just 5 years. So i can understand their thinking: plead guilty, forfeit millions and just spend a few years in prison, rather than pushing on with the case and probably losing and then spend a longer time in prison.
This is sound logic. It's better for them to close the case with minimal losses than to continue being pursued and lose the case with much greater losses. Therefore, as the saying goes, it's "the lesser of two evils."
A guilty plea would get them the lesser of two punishments, and they might not serve the full sentence. After serving time, they could petition for clemency, or they might be able to strike a secret deal with Trump for early release in exchange for a hefty fine.
We'll be monitoring the court's decision. By the time the trial begins, they'll already have about a year and a half of house arrest. If the court takes this into account, their sentence will be reduced.
It is possible. However, since the maximum sentence for their so-called 'offence' is five years, after striking this plea deal and forfeiting millions to the government, to be specific with the amount, $237,832,360.55, i don't think there is a chance they are going to get the maximum sentencing. I predict they will be sentenced to 2 years in prison, but we would find out soon enough.
If the punishment is 2 years, then they will already be free next year. I also think that the maximum sentence will be 2-4 years, of which 1.5 years will be counted as time spent under house arrest.
This is old news already that has been discussed and argued in this thread.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5494139.0
You should follow the case of Roman Storm of Tornado Cash. There might be more prosecutions on him.
Also, they have pleaded guilty and have negotiated and made a deal with the American government, why are you implying that they are still being under prosecution?
The rumors presently are Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill are working with the government to assist them.
Roman Storm has already been convicted on one of the 3 charges he faced, which is conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. A conviction i find absurd since Tornado Cash never held custody of customers funds. But i guess once you are up against the government, they can 'amend' the law to their advantage and send you to jail.
The jury were unable to prove the other two charges, which were more severe: money laundering and sanctions evasion. And if prosecution want him convicted on them, i believe they have to file for another trial on those two counts.
It's all about creating precedent for the FEDs. If a method is found to evade them LEGALLY, their authority suddenly holds less ground and they're well aware of that.
They'd rather throw the book at some teenage developer rather than see big businesses like Coinbase advertise mixing as a service down the line.
Forget about the fact that t.cash was distributed and anyone could redeploy it. Forget about the fact that its devs had little to no control. It was all about precedent and looking tough on crime. Not about being fair.
And let alone the fact that any "legal" exchange is a much larger laundromat for coins than t.cash could ever be, but since they don't advertise it as such it's good I guess?!
Yes, however, the jury was deadlocked on 2 more serious charges against him. This implies that the case can be reopened and there will be another trial with a different jury.
@alani123. On the Samourai developers, this is only my speculation, however, the pleading of guilty and lessening for charges implies that they have made a deal with the American government. This will be very much similar to the criminal Frank Abagnale where he became a security consultant for the FBI from being a check forger.
If the Samurai developers have a deal with the government, the trial will be a formality. A jury is not necessary.
The only question is the length of the sentence and how much will be credited for house arrest.
The doj through its Assitant Attorney General, Galeotti, already said they do not have any intention of retrying Roman Storm on the other two deadlocked charges. However, Roman, through his attorney has filed a motion that his client be acquitted on all charges, despite his conviction on the Money transmitting charge. Though i doubt the Federal judge would grant that.
However, the government is setting a 'dangerous' precedent here. They are actually connoting that writing code, even without any illicit intent can be regarded as crime. And other developers would probably be looking over their shoulders right now watching all of this unfold.
@Z-tight. The administration of the Donald might not anymore request for a retrial, however, there will not be an assurance of this for the next administration. Especially if the next administration is an antocrypto Democrat hehehe.
Also, on the dangerous precedent, this is good that more people in the forum are beginning to understand the dangers.
Yeah, i believe many people in the community understand how dangerous this precedent is. If developers of a non-custodial wallet and open-source code could be found guilty of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, when neither of them built a service that had custody of customers funds, then there is something to worry about. It simply means any developer could be next and if you do not run a kyc/surveillance service, you are an enemy of the government and they can twist the law book to put you away.
Not all Democrats are anti-crypto. AFAIK the genius act was bipartisan. Even Kamala at the end of her campaign started to lean towards crypto but it was too late, especially when she took over from Biden.
The devs have plead guilty, which is why they are being prosecuted further. IMO if they have kept acting like victims of the system who didn't do anything wrong, maybe they'd get some kind of a deal where there would be no trial and they're let go with a warning? When someone agrees that the prosecutors are right and admit guilt, sentencing seems to be the next logical step.
I'm getting mixed feelings from this administration where they on one hand free Ross and at the same time attack devs who just create privacy tools.
I don't agree. A plea deal helped strike out the other serious charges, each which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. If they continued to plead not guilty, there is a high chance that the prosecution will win the case, knowing how the judicial system works. And if that happens, they will be looking at spending a very long time in jail. The plea deal means they can only spend a maximum of 5 years in prison on the 'guilt' of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
No centralized government can suport privacy or privacy tools.
https://markets.financialcontent.com/stocks/article/breakingcrypto-2025-11-6-samourai-wallet-co-founder-sentenced-to-five-years-sending-chilling-waves-through-crypto-privacy-landscape
"New York, NY November 6, 2025 In a landmark decision that has sent tremors throughout the cryptocurrency ecosystem, Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder and CEO of the privacy-focused Samourai Wallet, was today sentenced to a five-year prison term for his role in operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The sentencing, handed down on November 6, 2025, in a New York federal court, also included a $250,000 fine, marking a significant escalation in the U.S. government's crackdown on crypto mixing services. Rodriguez had previously pleaded guilty in July 2025 to avoid a more severe money laundering conspiracy charge.
The immediate reaction from the crypto community has been one of profound concern and disappointment. Advocates for digital privacy and open-source development view this sentencing as a dangerous precedent, potentially criminalizing the creation and deployment of tools designed to enhance financial anonymity. This development follows closely on the heels of the August 6, 2025, guilty verdict against Roman Storm, a co-founder of the prominent crypto mixer Tornado Cash, for similar charges, underscoring a concerted regulatory push against services deemed to facilitate illicit financial flows. The intertwined cases signal a pivotal moment for the future of privacy-enhancing technologies within the blockchain space and the ongoing debate about developer liability for user actions."