Founders of Samourai Wallet declare themselves guilty for capital washing

The developers of Samourai Wallet They admit that they have facilitated illegal operations with cryptocurrencies, facilitating at least USD $ 100 million in lawful operations.

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• Samourai Wallet It executed more than USD $ 2 billion in illegal transactions, legitimizing at least USD $ 100 million.
  
• The founders accepted a penalty less than 60 months and a fine of USD $ 400,000.
  
• The case coincides with the trial against Tornado cash for alleged washing linked to North Korea.

The founders of the cryptocurrency mixing service Samourai Wallet They declared themselves guilty of having facilitated the washing of more than USD $ 100 million from illegal activities. The admission occurred while, in the same judicial district, the trial against the co -founder of Tornado Cash, Another mixer accused of similar crimes.

Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill appeared before the Federal Court of Manhattan, where they declared themselves guilty of conspiring to operate a business transmission business without a license. The Prosecutor’s Office He pointed out that Samourai Wallet prosecuted more than USD $ 2 billion in transactions linked to criminal activities, including sales in dark markets such as Silk Road and Hydra Market, Phishing and Fraud campaigns to decentralized finance protocols (Defi).

The guilty statement confirms the previously published reports, which pointed out that the operators would accept the charges against them in exchange for procedural benefits.

A repeated pattern in mixing services

Cryptocurrency mixers are tools designed to hide the origin and destination of transactions, which makes them attractive to those who wish to move illicit funds without being tracked. Although some defenders claim that they can be used legitimately to protect privacy, regulators have redoubled efforts to restrict their use.

The case against Samourai It is not isolated. In March 2024, the founder of the mixer Bitcoin Fog He was sentenced in Washington for facilitating the washing of tens of millions of dollars from illicit drug markets. His operator received a sentence for 150 months in prison.

Hill confessed to the judge that, although he knew that the platform was being used for criminal activities, he decided to continue operating it. “I understood that hackeos profits to several sites could be sent through Samourai Wallet to hide their origin,” affirmed.

Consequences agreed in the judicial agreement

As part of your guilt declaration, Rodriguez and Hill agreed to accept a sentence of less than 60 months in prison, in addition to delivering USD $ 237 million and paying a fine of USD $ 400,000. The sentence is scheduled for November.

The US authorities consider that the case feels an important precedent in the attempt to regulate technological platforms that work without traditional bank controls. The Trump administration, although it has abandoned some high profile processes in the crypto sector, has allowed us to move forward with these cases, which stand out as exceptions in a more indulgent position.

Tornado cash Also under the magnifying glass

While the judicial agreement of Samourai, In the same judicial district, the final arguments of the trial against Roman Storm, co -founder of Tornado cash. The case is closely followed by the crypto community due to its impact on financial privacy and the limits of the responsibility of software developers.

The Department of Justice argues that Tornado Cash helped wash hundreds of millions of dollars, including funds stolen by Lazarus Group, A cyber -led organization allegedly linked to the North Korean regime. The jury is expected to begin to deliberate at any time after the final allegations initiated on July 15.

Both cases are being carried out in the New York Southern District Courtand reflect the new strategy of the US government to deal with the illicit use of tools Blockchain, especially in the field of privacy.

Written article with the help of an AI content editor, edited by Angel Di Matteo / Diariobitcoin

Original image of Diariobitcoin, created with artificial intelligence, for free use, licensed under public domain.

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