President Donald Trump has expressed willingness to consider pardoning Keonne Rodriguez, the CEO of privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet Samourai. Rodriguez was sentenced to five years in federal prison last month for money laundering charges.
During an afternoon event in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump answered a reporter’s question that he is aware of the case and is open to exploring a potential pardon.
“I’ve heard about it, I’ll look at it,” he told the reporter. “Why you think it should be pardoned?”
“It sounds like, based on your question, Rodriguez. We’ll look at that, Pam. Okay,” the President said to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was also present during the session.
Samourai Dev Rodriguez Faces 5 Years Prison Charges
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill, the CEO and CTO of Samourai Wallet on April 24. They each face one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The case was started under the Biden administration.
Last month, District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) handed down Rodriguez’s sentence to five years in prison.
Rodriguez was accused of creating a Bitcoin mixing service that was allegedly used to launder $237 million in dirty money. He had voluntarily pleaded guilty in July.
Rodriguez Responds to Trump’s Words
In response to Trump’s consideration on Monday, Rodriguez said, “This is a big step forward.”
“This President knows all about lawfare. He knows all about a weaponized Biden DOJ hunting down their political rivals. He knows the tactics and tricks they play. If he looks at our case closely it will be a case of deja vu, and I think he would do the right thing and grant us a pardon,” Rodriguez wrote on X.
Trump’s response comes four days before Rodriguez’s prison term begins.
Besides, the crypto community is buzzing with #pardonsamourai hashtags, seeking the signing of a petition to reach 100K signatures.
“Just as Ross Ulbricht was pardoned, Keonne must be forgiven, too,” wrote crypto entrepreneur Jesse Tevelow. “We cannot allow one of our own fellow Bitcoiners to spend time in jail for building a legitimate product that protects our Bitcoin and strengthens the network.”
President Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who started Silk Road, a marketplace on the darknet. In October, Trump also pardoned Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the former head of Binance, concluding months of speculation over his legal fate. These cases mark a major shift in Washington’s approach to cryptocurrency regulation.
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