The chorus of voices calling for a presidential pardon of Samourai wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill is growing, as Bitcoin advocates and policy groups call on US President Donald Trump to intervene before the pair report to prison next year.
Rodriguez and Hill were sentenced in November to five and four years in prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Under a plea deal, each admitted only to conspiring to run an unlicensed money-transmitting business, with the laundering charge dropped. Both are due to report to prison in early January 2026, unless a pardon can be secured.
High-profile figures in the Bitcoin (BTC) community have voiced their support for pardons, including veteran broadcaster and Bitcoin advocate Max Keiser, Bitcoin media entrepreneur Marty Bent and host of The Bitcoin Podcast, Walker America.
The Bitcoin Policy Institute’s (BPI) Zack Shapiro made a case for a full pardon, arguing that the Samourai case misapplies federal money-transmission law to non-custodial software.
Source: Keonne Rodriguez
Related: After Samourai, DOJ’s money-transmitter theory now looms over crypto mixers
Bitcoin Policy Institute: Pardon would “restore legal clarity”
On Dec. 2, the Bitcoin Policy Institute published a detailed case in favor of pardoning the Samourai developers, arguing that the prosecution was based on a misapplication of federal money-transmission law and that non-custodial tools fall outside the BSA’s money-transmitter framework.
In BPI’s view, treating the Samourai developers as money transmitters erases the long-standing legal distinction between software publishers and financial intermediaries. The Institute further warns that allowing the convictions to stand risks chilling innovation in privacy-preserving Bitcoin tools in the United States.
From BPI’s perspective, “A pardon would correct a clear misapplication of federal law, protect the integrity of long-standing distinctions in financial regulation, and reaffirm that publishing non-custodial software is not — and should not become — a criminal act.”
Related: Europe’s new chat police: Chat Control legislation nudges forward in the EU
Community rallies behind Samourai devs
The petition to pardon the Samourai devs had acquired more than 3,200 signatures at the time of writing, with support from the Bitcoin community and beyond. Walker America posted on Dec. 2:
“President Trump should pardon the Samourai Wallet developers. If @realDonaldTrump truly wants America to be the Bitcoin capital of the world, then our government must not unjustly incarcerate Bitcoin developers while turning a blind eye to Big Bankers’ crimes.”
Max Keiser tagged Eric Trump on Nov. 8, writing, “Eric, time to step it up,” as the Samourai case reached the inner circle of Trump-world influencers.
The Libertarian Party of Oregon also weighed in with support for a pardon and freedom of expression, arguing that “Code IS speech!”
Pardons, optics and the billionaire paradox
Since assuming office, Trump has built a notable track record of issuing crypto-adjacent pardons, including high-profile clemency for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht and Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.
That backdrop has led some in the Bitcoin community to question the optics of how pardons are being deployed. A billionaire exchange founder involved in a sprawling compliance scandal receives a pardon while two open-source wallet developers serve four and five-year terms.
“The perceived corruption associated with the CZ pardon will look even worse if the Samourai Wallet devs aren’t pardoned for similar charges. How much of World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin does one need to hold to receive a pardon?” Bitcoin researcher Kyle Torpey commented.
The clock is ticking, and advocates say what happens in the coming weeks will say as much about the future of privacy-focused development in the US as it does about the fate of two coders heading to prison.
Magazine: When privacy and AML laws conflict: Crypto projects’ impossible choice
