Samourai Wallet’s Co-Founder Appeals for Bitcoin Donations From Federal Prison

Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez published a public appeal from FPC Morgantown federal prison, asking Bitcoin (BTC) holders to donate to a wallet address tied to his familys mounting legal debt. Rodriguez wrote on X (Twitter) that he and his wife Lauren owe more than $2 million in legal fees. They also face a $250,000 court-imposed fine after his guilty plea to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Pardon Prospects Have Faded In his May 6 post, Rodriguez said he is five months into a 60-month sentence at the West Virginia camp. He surrendered to federal custody in December 2025. He had previously been released on a $1 million bond before sentencing. Hope for a presidential pardon stirred briefly during the Bitcoin 2026 conference but has since dimmed. President Trump had said in late 2025 he would consider a pardon. Rodriguez now calls those prospects very low. I am simply a federal prisoner without money, power, or influence, and I will serve my full sentence, he lamented. $2 Million in Debt and a Direct Bitcoin Address The appeal directs donations to the address bc1qtjjcvn98wh7dfd55m8kxhjcfexanttwt8gtan8, with private alternatives available through his wifes X (Twitter) account. Rodriguez said lawyers and the U.S. Department of Justice are pressing for payment. Federal prosecutors had alleged Samourai processed over $237 million in criminal proceeds, according to the original arrest announcement. A seizure warrant for Samourais mobile application was served on the Google Play Store. As a result, the application will no longer be available to be downloaded from the Google Play Store in the United States, the officialswrotein their statement. The wallet handled more than $2 billion across over 100,000 users since 2015. Rodriguez and co-founder William Lonergan Hill pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Hill received a four-year sentence. The two also forfeited approximately $6.37 million in earned fees as part of a larger money judgment. The case continues to anchor debate over whether developers of non-custodial privacy software can face criminal liability for user activity. The original code still circulates through the Ashigaru fork.