Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez finds himself under home incarceration after posting a whopping $1 million bail. Despite this setback, Rodriguez maintains his innocence and will await trial from the comfort of his own home.
The conditions of Rodriguez’s bail, according to court documents filed on April 26, require him to secure a personal recognizance bond by May 14. This bond must be co-signed by two other individuals and be backed by property located in Pennsylvania.
In addition to home incarceration, Rodriguez is also subject to pretrial supervision and location monitoring technology as directed by pretrial services. His travel is restricted to specific districts in New York and Pennsylvania, with limited connectivity to surrounding areas.
To ensure compliance, numerous other restrictions have been placed on Rodriguez. He is prohibited from engaging in cryptocurrency transactions without approval and cannot be involved with Samourai Wallet in any capacity. Opening bank accounts or lines of credit also requires prior authorization. Possessing firearms, destructive devices, and weapons is strictly forbidden.
Furthermore, Rodriguez is not permitted to contact his co-defendant, William Lonergan Hill, unless counsel is present. Speedy trial time has been excluded until May 14.
The crackdown on Samourai Wallet began with Rodriguez’s arrest in the United States on April 24. Simultaneously, US authorities initiated extradition proceedings against Hill, who was apprehended in Portugal and has yet to make a court appearance.
Both Rodriguez and Hill are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Allegedly, the duo handled $2 billion worth of Bitcoin through illicit transactions and facilitated $100 million in money laundering activities on dark web markets. They reportedly profited millions of dollars in fees.
As part of the operation, authorities seized the Samourai Wallet app, removing its website and Google Play app store listing on the day of the charges.