Developers of bitcoin wallet Samourai Wallet laundered more than $ 200 million in cryptocurrency

A US federal court has sentenced Samourai Wallet co-founders William Gill and Keonne Rodriguez to prison for organizing a cryptocurrency mixer that laundered more than $ 200 million in illegal funds. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, more than $ 237 million was laundered through the Samourai platform from sources related to cybercrime, drug trafficking, and fraud.

According to the case file, Hill and Rodriguez started developing Samourai Wallet in 2015, claiming that it was a tool to protect users' privacy. However, the service later turned into a full-fledged money laundering platform. The system used two main tools, Whirlpool and Ricochet, which mixed user transactions, disguising their origin. More than 80,000 BTC (more than $ 2 billion) passed through these services, which were launched in 2017 and 2019, and the founders earned more than $ 6 million in commissions.

Prosecutors proved that the defendants actively promoted Samourai on the Dread darknet forum, urging criminals to use their service to «cleanse» bitcoins. Rodriguez openly referred to the process as «money laundering for bitcoin» and encouraged hackers to use Whirlpool to avoid tracking. The court concluded that the developers' actions were purposeful and deliberate.

As a result, the court sentenced William Hill to four years and Keonn Rodriguez to five years in prison. Both also received three years of conditional post-release supervision and must pay more than $ 6.3 million in ill-gotten gains. The judge emphasized that «the law applies to cryptocurrency just like any other form of money.»