Snaps

Four

Tornado Cash

Tornado

<p>William Hill, co-founder of the privacy-focused Samourai Wallet, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The November 19, 2025 ruling marks another major development in the U.S. government’s widening crackdown on crypto privacy tools.</p>
<p>Hill’s <strong><a href="https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2025/11/19/samourai-wallet-co-founder-sentenced-to-four-years-for-crypto-scheme/?slreturn=20251119180143" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">punishment</a></strong> was lighter than that of his co-founder, Keonne Rodriguez, who received the maximum five-year sentence earlier this year. Prosecutors noted Hill’s advanced age and a recent autism diagnosis as factors that reduced his term.</p>
<h3 id="the-charges-and-plea-deal">The Charges and Plea Deal</h3>
<p>Hill and Rodriguez both pleaded guilty in July 2025 to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The plea deal led to the dismissal of more serious money-laundering charges, but prosecutors emphasized the scale of illicit activity linked to the platform.</p>
<p>According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Samourai Wallet facilitated more than $237 million in illegal transactions, including funds tied to darknet markets, hacks, and other criminal operations.</p>
<div class="read-more tdi_7">
 <div class="td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack td-cpt-post td-module-exclusive">
  <div class="td-module-container">
   <div class="td-image-container">
    <div class="td-module-thumb">
     <a href="https://www.ethnews.com/bnb-falls-toward-880-as-key-support-snaps/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> <span></span> </a>
    </div>
   </div>
   <div class="td-module-meta-info">
    <h3 class="entry-title td-module-title" id="a-href-https-www-ethnews-com-bnb-falls-toward-880-as-key-support-snaps-rel-noopener-noreferrer-nofollow-bnb-falls-toward-880-as-key-support-snaps-a"><a href="https://www.ethnews.com/bnb-falls-toward-880-as-key-support-snaps/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">BNB Falls Toward $880 as Key Support Snaps</a></h3>
   </div>
  </div>
 </div>
</div>
<h3 id="how-prosecutors-framed-the-case">How Prosecutors Framed the Case</h3>
<p>Authorities argued that the co-founders knowingly designed and promoted Samourai Wallet’s privacy features, including Whirlpool (a coin-mixing service) and Ricochet (a transaction-obfuscation feature), to appeal to users seeking to hide the origins of illicit funds.</p>
<p>Prosecutors claimed the pair marketed the tools directly to individuals aiming to avoid detection, describing the wallet’s services as an “end-to-end laundering pipeline.”</p>
<h3 id="part-of-a-broader-u-s-enforcement-wave">Part of a Broader U.S. Enforcement Wave</h3>
<p>The case forms part of a broader federal campaign targeting crypto privacy infrastructure. It follows the high-profile conviction of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, and arrives amid renewed debate over whether builders of privacy tools should be held criminally responsible for their users’ actions.</p>
<p>Hill’s sentencing underscores how aggressively U.S. authorities are now pursuing developers whose platforms enable anonymous transactions, even when no traditional custody of user funds is involved.</p>
<p>The ruling is expected to influence ongoing cases and future regulatory approaches to on-chain privacy tooling.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.ethnews.com/samourai-wallet-co-founder-sentenced-to-four-years-in-u-s-federal-prison/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Sentenced to Four Years in U.S. Federal Prison</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ethnews.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ETHNews</a>.</p>

Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Sentenced to Four Years in U.S. Federal Prison

Table of Contents

ETHNews

Other articles published on Nov 19, 2025

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!