Trump orders review of pardon for Samourai Wallet co-founder

At an Oval Office Q&A on Monday, President Donald Trump told reporters he would consider a pardon for Samourai Wallet CEO Keonne Rodriguez and directed Attorney General Pam Bondi, who attended, to review the case.

“I’ve heard about it, I’ll look at it,” Trump told journalists. “I don’t know anything about it, but we’ll take a look.” He did not give a timeline for a decision.

Rodriguez co-founded Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused bitcoin app that included a mixing feature used to obscure the source and destination of funds. During the Biden administration, the Department of Justice charged Rodriguez and co-founder William Lonergan Hill with conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, alleging the service encouraged laundering of millions in criminal proceeds.

Last month, a federal judge imposed a five-year prison term on Rodriguez. Hill, the company’s former chief technology officer, received four years. Rodriguez has stated he is due to report to federal prison at FPC Morgantown in four days.

In a post on X after the Oval Office remarks, Rodriguez wrote that securing Trump’s attention had been the biggest hurdle. “I have always said that the most challenging aspect of getting a pardon for me and Bill would be getting the attention of [Donald Trump],” he wrote. “If he looks at our case closely it will be a case of deja vu, and I think he would do the right thing and grant us a pardon.” He thanked supporters and noted his report date.

Trump’s comments follow earlier clemency in two high-profile crypto cases. He pardoned Ross Ulbricht, creator of the Silk Road darknet marketplace, who had been serving two life sentences for running a platform that facilitated sales of narcotics and other illegal goods and services using bitcoin. He also pardoned former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao in October.

Some bitcoin advocates who supported Ulbricht’s pardon have urged similar action for the Samourai founders and for developers behind Tornado Cash, another mixing service. They argue privacy tools have legitimate uses, while federal authorities have asserted such tools are used to conceal criminal proceeds.