Federal prosecutors charged Samurai Wallet founders, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, with conspiracy to commit money laundering yesterday (Wednesday), marking another development in the US government's ongoing efforts to address the use of crypto mixing tools potentially exploited by illicit actors and foreign entities to conceal financial transactions.

Facing Legal Action over Alleged Transactions

According to a press release issued on Wednesday, Rodriguez and Hill stand accused of developing, marketing Marketing Marketing is defined as the business process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers' needs and wants.This is a crucial element of any operation or brokerage in the financial services space. Well-funded marketing campaigns are instrumental to the survival and longevity of these companies in an increasingly competitive industry.Within the forex space, marketers perform a wide range of functions to help procure, secure, or retain clients.In particular, newer forex brokers also have t Marketing is defined as the business process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers' needs and wants.This is a crucial element of any operation or brokerage in the financial services space. Well-funded marketing campaigns are instrumental to the survival and longevity of these companies in an increasingly competitive industry.Within the forex space, marketers perform a wide range of functions to help procure, secure, or retain clients.In particular, newer forex brokers also have t Read this Term, and operating the mixer, purportedly facilitating more than $100 million in money laundering transactions from illegal dark web markets. The release further alleges that Samourai Wallet facilitated approximately $2 billion in "unlawful transactions" from 2015 to the present.

Prosecutors have claimed that Rodriguez and Hill accrued around $4.5 million in fees for their mixing services, with different features carrying various pool fees, as outlined in the indictment. The charges against the duo include conspiracy to commit money laundering Money Laundering Money laundering is a blanket term to describe the process by which criminals disguise the original ownership and proceeds of criminal conduct by making such proceeds appear to be derived from a legitimate source.Money laundering is an issue that traverses countless industries and sectors, which includes the financial services space. Though criminal money may be successfully laundered without the assistance of the financial sector, billions of dollars’ worth of criminally derived money are laund Money laundering is a blanket term to describe the process by which criminals disguise the original ownership and proceeds of criminal conduct by making such proceeds appear to be derived from a legitimate source.Money laundering is an issue that traverses countless industries and sectors, which includes the financial services space. Though criminal money may be successfully laundered without the assistance of the financial sector, billions of dollars’ worth of criminally derived money are laund Read this Term and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, carrying potential maximum sentences of 20 years and five years, respectively.

Rodriguez was reportedly arrested on Wednesday morning and is expected to be arraigned in Pennsylvania today or tomorrow, while Hill, the Chief Technology Officer of Samourai Wallet, was apprehended in Portugal and will face extradition to the US.

Federal prosecutors have charged Samurai Wallet founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill with conspiracy to commit money laundering 🚨

According to a press release, the pair developed, marketed and operated the mixer, which "facilitated more than $100 million in money… pic.twitter.com/wOY8iZR95y

— Waivly (@Waivly) April 24, 2024

Website Seized Following Developer Indictment

The Samourai Wallet website, previously hosted in Iceland, has been seized, along with a seizure warrant issued for the mobile application on the Google Play Store. The website's homepage now displays a warning from US officials following the developers' indictment.

The Department of Justice's press release highlighted that Samourai Wallet had been under development since 2015, alleging that Rodriguez and Hill actively encouraged users to launder criminal proceeds through the mixer, citing social media posts and private messages. The mobile application reportedly garnered over 100,000 downloads.