Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, co-founders of the cryptocurrency mixing service Samourai Wallet, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to operating a money transmitting business that processed more than $200 million in crime proceeds. The announcement was made by Nicolas Roos, Attorney for the United States acting under authority conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, alongside IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr., and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia.
Rodriguez served as Chief Executive Officer and Hill as Chief Technology Officer at Samourai Wallet. Both men entered their pleas on July 30, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote.
“The defendants created and operated a cryptocurrency mixing service that they knew enabled criminals to wash millions in dirty money, including proceeds from cryptocurrency thefts, drug trafficking operations, and fraud schemes,” said Attorney for the United States Nicolas Roos. “When criminals exploit cryptocurrency technology for illicit purposes, it undermines the public trust and unfairly burdens legitimate cryptocurrency companies that are committed to operating lawfully. This Office and our partner agencies are committed to holding accountable those who exploit emerging technologies to launder crime proceeds.”
“Rodriguez and Hill admitted to operating a money transmitting business that transmitted crime proceeds, essentially ‘washing’ more than $200 million in ‘dirty’ money for criminals,” said Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI, Harry T. Chavis, Jr. “They did not just facilitate this illicit movement of money, but also encouraged it. Special Agents with IRS-CI New York and IRS-CI LA’s Cyber units worked with our federal and international law enforcement partners in this investigation that detailed the company’s clear disregard for the rule of law. Even with all the ‘washing’ in this scheme, no one was clean in these transactions.”
“Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill’s guilty pleas prove their cryptocurrency mixing service–Samourai Wallet–was designed to conceal criminal financial transactions and launder millions of dollars of dirty money,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “The FBI is committed to bringing to justice anyone who uses technological innovation to facilitate illicit activity.”
Court documents indicate that since around 2015 Rodriguez and Hill developed Samourai Wallet as a mobile application intended for transmitting criminal proceeds through features such as “Whirlpool”—a Bitcoin mixing tool—and “Ricochet,” which added extra transaction steps to obscure origins of funds on the blockchain ledger system used by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
From Ricochet’s launch in 2017 until Whirlpool began operation in 2019, over 80,000 Bitcoin—worth more than $2 billion at prevailing rates—passed through these services; fees collected during this period generated about $6 million for Samourai based on then-current Bitcoin values.
Evidence presented includes communications where Rodriguez described “mixing” as “money laundering for bitcoin” via WhatsApp messages; meanwhile Hill promoted Whirlpool on darknet forums as an effective way for users involved with illegal activities—including dark web markets—to hide or “clean” their funds.
Investigators also found instances where both founders actively encouraged hackers who had stolen funds from a major social media platform hack in July 2020 to use Samourai’s services rather than competitors’, publicly urging them via Twitter exchanges.
Both men face up to five years imprisonment after pleading guilty each to one count of conspiracy related charge involving knowingly operating a business transmitting crime proceeds; sentencing will be determined by Judge Cote at a later date according congressional guidelines.
As part of plea agreements with authorities Rodriguez (of Harmony, Pennsylvania) and Hill (a U.S national arrested abroad) will collectively forfeit over $237 million linked directly or indirectly with unlawful transactions processed through Samourai Wallet.
Law enforcement agencies credited include IRS-CI New York/LA cyber teams along with support from international bodies such as Europol; Portuguese Judicial Police; Icelandic Police; Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs—which played a significant role securing extradition proceedings against Hill—and local field offices such as Pittsburgh’s FBI division.
Prosecution is led by Assistant U.S Attorneys Andrew K. Chan, David R. Felton & Cecilia Vogel within SDNY’s Complex Frauds/Cybercrime & Illicit Finance/Money Laundering Units.
