The clamor for a presidential pardon for Samourai wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill is intensifying, with Bitcoin advocates and policy organizations urging US President Donald Trump to take action before the duo enters prison next year.
In November, Rodriguez and Hill were sentenced to five and four years in prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges related to running an unlicensed money-transmitting business. They each admitted to this conspiracy under a plea deal, with the laundering charges being dismissed. Both are expected to report to prison in early January 2026 unless a pardon is obtained.
Notable figures within the Bitcoin (BTC) community, including veteran broadcaster and advocate Max Keiser, Bitcoin media entrepreneur Marty Bent, and The Bitcoin Podcast host Walker America, have expressed their support for granting pardons.
Zack Shapiro from the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) argued for a full pardon, claiming that the Samourai case incorrectly applies federal money transmission laws to non-custodial software.
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Bitcoin Policy Institute: Pardon would “restore legal clarity”
On Dec. 2, the Bitcoin Policy Institute published a comprehensive argument advocating for pardoning the Samourai developers, asserting that the prosecution misapplied federal money-transmission law and that non-custodial tools should be excluded from the BSA’s money-transmitter framework.
In the view of BPI, classifying the Samourai developers as money transmitters nullifies the important legal distinction between software publishers and financial intermediaries. The Institute warns that allowing the convictions to remain could stifle innovation in privacy-focused Bitcoin tools within the United States.
According to BPI, “A pardon would amend a clear misinterpretation of federal law, safeguard the principles of long-established distinctions in financial regulation, and reinforce that publishing non-custodial software should not be criminalized.”
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Community rallies behind Samourai devs
The petition advocating for the pardon of Samourai developers has garnered over 3,200 signatures as of this writing, receiving backing from the Bitcoin community and beyond. On Dec. 2, Walker America posted:
“President Trump should pardon the Samourai Wallet developers. If @realDonaldTrump truly wants America to be the Bitcoin capital of the world, then our government must not unjustly incarcerate Bitcoin developers while turning a blind eye to Big Bankers’ crimes.”
Max Keiser tagged Eric Trump on Nov. 8, stating, “Eric, time to step it up,” as the Samourai case became a topic of discussion among Trump-world influencers.
The Libertarian Party of Oregon has also expressed its support for a pardon and freedom of expression, asserting that “Code IS speech!”
Pardons, optics and the billionaire paradox
Since taking office, Trump has made headlines for issuing crypto-related pardons, including notable clemency for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht and Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.
This context has led some within the Bitcoin community to scrutinize the optics surrounding these pardons. A billionaire exchange founder entangled in a wide-reaching compliance scandal receives a pardon, while two open-source wallet developers face four and five-year sentences.
“The perceived corruption linked to the CZ pardon will appear even more egregious if the Samourai Wallet developers are not pardoned for equivalent charges. How much of World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin is necessary to secure a pardon?” Bitcoin researcher Kyle Torpey commented.
With time running out, advocates believe that the decisions made in the upcoming weeks will be indicative of the future of privacy-driven development in the US as much as they will determine the fates of two developers heading for prison.
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