Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Samourai Wallet, has made a heartfelt public plea from the confines of FPC Morgantown federal prison, urging Bitcoin (BTC) holders to assist his family financially. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), he revealed that he and his wife, Lauren, face staggering legal fees exceeding $2 million, coupled with a $250,000 fine imposed by the court following his guilty plea for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
Rodriguez, currently serving a 60-month sentence at the West Virginia facility, surrendered to federal authorities in December 2025 after being released on a $1 million bond prior to sentencing. His hopes for a presidential pardon generated some optimism during the Bitcoin 2026 conference, especially after former President Trump expressed willingness to consider such a move. However, those prospects have since diminished significantly, with Rodriguez himself acknowledging the likelihood of receiving a pardon as “very low.”
In his message, he expressed a sense of resignation, stating, “I am simply a federal prisoner without money, power, or influence, and I will serve my full sentence.” In the wake of his legal challenges, Rodriguez’s appeal includes a direct Bitcoin wallet address, bc1qtjjcvn98wh7dfd55m8kxhjcfexanttwt8gtan8, while also suggesting that alternative private donation options could be explored through his wife’s account on the platform.
The couple’s financial situation has become dire, with ongoing pressure from lawyers and the U.S. Department of Justice for payment. Earlier charges against Samourai Wallet indicated that the platform allegedly processed over $237 million in criminal proceeds. The situation escalated to the point where a seizure warrant was issued for Samourai’s mobile application, leading to its removal from the Google Play Store for users in the United States.
Launched in 2015, Samourai Wallet managed over $2 billion in transactions through more than 100,000 users. Rodriguez and co-founder William Lonergan Hill both pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy charges. Hill has since received a four-year prison sentence, and both co-founders forfeited around $6.37 million in earned fees as part of a broader money judgment. This ongoing legal battle continues to stir discussions regarding the accountability of developers of non-custodial privacy software in relation to their users’ activities, with the original code still available through the Ashigaru fork.
