Bitcoin Advocates Push Samourai Case Dismissal

Crypto Advocacy Groups Support Dismissal of Samourai Wallet Case

• The U.S. Department of Justice shut down the Bitcoin mixing service Samourai Wallet, arresting developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill in April 2024.
• A federal judge declined to admit amicus curiae briefs from crypto advocacy groups supporting the dismissal of charges against Samourai Wallet.
• The Blockchain Association, Coin Center, DeFi Education Fund, and Bitcoin Policy Institute argue that the wallet did not violate U.S. law as it did not control user funds.
• Advocacy groups claim FinCEN requires entities to have “total independent control over the value” to be considered money transmitters.
• Lawyers for Rodriguez and Hill argue that users always had control over their Bitcoin transactions through the app.

The case against Samourai Wallet developers centers on allegations of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, with advocacy groups arguing that the software merely facilitated user-controlled transactions without breaching legal statutes.