Samourai Wallet co-founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill have announced their intention to plead guilty to charges related to their roles in the crypto mixing protocol.
Court filings submitted separately on Tuesday in a New York federal court stated that both Rodriguez and Hill would change their pleas during a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning.
The two initially pleaded not guilty in April 2024 to charges of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, which prosecutors allege facilitated over $2 billion in illegal transactions, including some connected to notorious dark web marketplaces like Silk Road.
Samourai Co-Founders Could Face Up to 25 Years in Prison
Keonne Rodriguez, CEO of Samourai, and William Hill, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, are facing serious charges that could result in a combined maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
The two were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a potential 20-year sentence, and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, which adds up to five more years.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote has scheduled hearings for Wednesday morning to address their planned change of plea. The court filings did not specify how the plea shift might affect their potential sentences.
A trial had originally been scheduled to begin on November 3.
Samourai Co-Founders Previously Sought to Dismiss the Case
The decision to change their pleas comes nearly four months after the Samourai Wallet co-founders attempted to have the case dismissed in early April. They cited an April 7 memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, which stated that the Department of Justice would not pursue charges against individuals behind crypto mixers for “unwitting violations of regulations.”
In May, their legal team further argued that federal prosecutors had withheld key guidance indicating that Samourai did not require a money-transmitting license—advice allegedly given six months before the founders were charged.
Despite these efforts, neither argument succeeded in derailing the case.
Samourai operated like other crypto mixing protocols, pooling funds from various users and obfuscating their origins to enhance transaction privacy.
Guilty Pleas Come as Roman Storm Heads to Trial
Another crypto mixing service under scrutiny is Tornado Cash, whose co-founder Roman Storm is currently standing trial before a jury.
Supporters of Storm argue that a conviction could set a dangerous precedent by criminalizing open-source privacy tools. They warn such a ruling could threaten innovation in decentralized finance and severely limit digital privacy rights.
Storm was charged in 2023 with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions. If found guilty on all counts, he faces a potential sentence of up to 45 years in prison.
