U.S. President Donald Trump said that he will review the potential pardon of Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder and chief executive officer of Samourai Wallet.
“I’ve heard about it, I’ll look at it,” Trump said during a Q&A session with journalists at the Oval Office on Monday. Trump then directed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, also present in the session, to examine the case.
“I don’t know anything about it, but we’ll take a look,” Trump also said.
Samourai Wallet was a privacy-focused bitcoin wallet that featured a crypto mixing service, which obfuscates the source and destination of funds in a transaction.
During the Biden administration, the Department of Justice arrested Rodriguez and co-founder William Lonergan Hill under charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Prosecutors accuse the two of encouraging users to launder millions of dollars in criminal proceeds through Samourai.
Last month, Rodriguez was sentenced to five years in prison for operating Samourai with a crypto mixing feature that helped launder millions of dollars. Hill, who served as chief technology officer, received four years.
Trump’s comment on the Samourai Wallet case follows his pardon of Ross Ulbricht, creator of the darknet marketplace Silk Road. Ulbricht was serving two life sentences for operating the platform that facilitated the sale of narcotics and other illegal products and services. The platform used bitcoin for transactions and helped to popularize the cryptocurrency’s use.
Many bitcoiners who have been calling for the pardon of Ulbricht now advocate for the same to happen with Samourai Wallet founders and the developers of Tornado Cash, another crypto mixing service.
Donald Trump also pardoned former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao in October, declaring the end of the Biden administration’s “war against crypto.” Trump faced criticism for the move, especially after stating in a CBS interview that he did not know who Zhao was. The White House later clarified that he meant he did not know him personally.
Rodriguez responds
“I have always said that the most challenging aspect of getting a pardon for me and Bill would be getting the attention of [Donald Trump],” Rodriguez wrote in an X post. “[President Trump] knows all about a weaponized Biden DOJ hunting down their political rivals … If he looks at our case closely it will be a case of deja vu, and I think he would do the right thing and grant us a pardon.”
Rodriguez thanked Trump for his attention to the case and the community that has been supporting his potential pardon. The Samourai founder also noted that there are four days left until he enters federal prison FPC Morgantown.
© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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