Samourai Wallet Co-Founders to Change Pleas to Guilty in Court

Co-founders of Samourai Wallet, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, are set to plead guilty to charges related to their bitcoin mixing service, which allegedly facilitated the laundering of over $100 million. Initial pleas were not guilty, but court filings indicate a change during hearings scheduled for Wednesday.

Key points include:

Charges: Conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Potential sentence: Up to 25 years in prison.
Trial date: Initially set for early November in Manhattan’s U.S. District Court.
Related case: Developer Roman Storm of Tornado Cash faces similar charges, with a maximum sentence of 45 years.
Legal context: Defense attempts to dismiss the case based on DOJ memos and withheld evidence have been unsuccessful.

The reasons behind the change in plea remain unclear. A lawyer for Rodriguez did not provide comments on the matter.