Co-creator of Samourai Wallet seeks public support for $2M in legal expenses
After facing mounting legal costs related to his prosecution involving the cryptocurrency mixing service, Samourai Wallet co-creator Keonne Rodriguez has launched a public appeal for financial assistance to address his $2 million debt.
Keonne Rodriguez, a key developer of the cryptocurrency mixing service Samourai Wallet, has reached out to the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem seeking financial contributions to address mounting legal expenses and penalties connected to his prosecution on money laundering-related charges.
The co-founders of Samourai Wallet, Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, received prison sentences on Nov. 19 of five years and four years, respectively, following convictions related to charges connected with their work on the protocol.
In a Wednesday message posted to X, Rodriguez expressed urgent need for assistance after experiencing complete financial devastation, having accumulated $2 million in legal expenses along with a $250,000 penalty levied by the presiding judge during sentencing.
"We are entirely out of options. We need to pay off these legal bills and other debts accrued attempting to defend myself. We desperately need your help. Now."
The prosecution of Rodriguez and Hill, alongside Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, has garnered significant attention from cryptocurrency proponents, with many contending that developers should not face liability for how third-party users employ their software. Critics of the convictions warn that such precedents threaten to criminalize open-source privacy technologies and undermine fundamental privacy protections.
Costs racked up over long legal battle
The initial charges against Rodriguez and Hill were filed in April 2024, including conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. Following initial not guilty pleas, both defendants entered guilty pleas in July 2025 to a single count of operating an illegal money transmitter.
During a December interview with Bitcoin educator and journalist Natalie Brunell, Rodriguez explained that his decision to enter a guilty plea came after analyzing the potential outcomes and determining that a trial conviction would result in substantially longer incarceration and additional millions in legal costs.
According to online legal services platform Lawful, hourly rates for criminal defense attorneys typically range from $200 to $500, with initial retainer fees frequently surpassing $10,000. These costs escalate depending on case classification, degree of complexity, and the size of the legal team involved.
Presidential pardon likely off the table
Last December, US President Donald Trump indicated he would examine Rodriguez's situation and consider granting a pardon. A petition advocating for such clemency had collected 15,953 signatures as of Thursday.
Rodriguez noted, however, that unlike the presidential pardons granted to Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht by Trump, his chances for similar clemency appear minimal.
"There was some hope during the Bitcoin 2026 conference, but that has now come and gone, and one must come to terms with the fact that I am simply a federal prisoner without money, power, or influence, and I will serve my full sentence," he said.
"Perhaps it was denial or delusion, but I had hoped to do what I have always done and dig myself out of this hole myself - but with the reality of serving a full sentence that is not possible."