Delay Requested in Samourai Wallet Case as Prosecutors Consider Dropping Charges
Federal prosecutors and Samourai Wallet's defense team have jointly sought a postponement in legal proceedings, indicating potential case dismissal.
Federal prosecutors and the defense team representing the co-founders of Samourai Wallet have jointly requested an extension in court proceedings while considering the possibility of dismissing the case. This request follows a notable shift in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) policy regarding cryptocurrency enforcement.
In a letter addressed to U.S. District Judge Richard Berman on April 28, 2025, attorneys for Samourai Wallet’s CEO Keonne Rodriguez and CTO William Hill sought a 16-day postponement of the pretrial motion deadlines. This request was aligned with the prosecution’s position; however, the government has yet to formally declare its stance on the potential for case dismissal.
Court Image
The request comes on the heels of an April 7 memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, which disbanded the DOJ’s digital asset enforcement team and indicated a reduction in the prosecution of crypto-related cases lacking evident investor harm or clear criminal activity.
According to the aforementioned letter, defense lawyers met with prosecutors and their superiors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan on April 24, 2025, to discuss the possibility of dismissing the case. The defense argued that delaying the motion schedule could allow them to avoid significant costs, should the government ultimately decide to drop the case.
Both Rodriguez and Hill were indicted in April 2024 on allegations of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, maintaining their not guilty pleas.
Should the court approve the requested delay, it would adjust motions to May 29, responses to June 26, and replies to July 10, without altering the trial date, which is set for November.
This case marks a broader decline in crypto prosecutions initiated during the Trump administration, with other CEOs, including Braden John Karony of SafeMoon, referencing the same DOJ memo in motions to dismiss their charges. Advocacy groups like the DeFi Education Fund are pressuring the White House to halt proceedings against open-source developers, including Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, claiming such actions hamper innovation and criminalize software development.
