Growing Support for Pardon of Samourai Wallet Developers
- Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill were sentenced to five and four years in prison, respectively, for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
- A petition advocating for their pardon has garnered over 3,200 signatures from the Bitcoin community.
- Prominent figures like Max Keiser and Marty Bent are publicly supporting the pardon, citing misapplication of federal law.
- The Bitcoin Policy Institute argues that treating developers as money transmitters undermines the distinction between software publishers and financial intermediaries.
- Rodriguez and Hill are scheduled to report to prison in January 2026 unless a presidential pardon is granted.
Calls for a pardon reflect concerns about the implications of their convictions on privacy-focused development in the cryptocurrency space. Advocates emphasize that a pardon would restore legal clarity regarding non-custodial software.
The outcome of this situation could significantly impact the future of privacy tools in the U.S., as highlighted by community support and legal arguments presented by organizations like the Bitcoin Policy Institute. (Source)
