Samourai Wallet Lawyers Allege Prosecutors Hid Crucial FinCEN Guidance
By: cryptosheadlines|2025/05/06 17:15:01
0
Share
Airdrop Is Live CaryptosHeadlines Media Has Launched Its Native Token CHT. Airdrop Is Live For Everyone, Claim Instant 5000 CHT Tokens Worth Of $50 USDT. Join the Airdrop at the official website, CryptosHeadlinesToken.com Lawyers representing Samourai Wallet’s co-founders have accused federal prosecutors of withholding key information from the court. The defense claims that U.S. prosecutors knew months in advance that Samourai Wallet did not legally require a license from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), but proceeded with criminal charges anyway.FinCEN GuidanceAccording to a May 5 letter filed in Manhattan federal court, attorneys for Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill assert that FinCEN officials told prosecutors in a 2023 phone call that Samourai Wallet likely wouldn’t be classified as a “Money Services Business” (MSB). If true, that would mean the company was not obligated to obtain a license under federal guidelines.Yet, six months later, Rodriguez and Hill were indicted for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to launder money. The charges—made public in April 2024—allege that Samourai enabled over $2 billion in concealed transactions, including $100 million tied to illicit activity on darknet markets.The crux of the defense’s argument lies in timing. Prosecutors, the letter says, were legally required to disclose their FinCEN correspondence by May 8, 2024. However, this information was only made available to the defense in April 2025, nearly a full year later. This delay, lawyers claim, robbed Rodriguez and Hill of a fair chance to contest the charges earlier.Defense Demands Answers Over Late DisclosureCrucially, a prosecutor’s internal email summarizing the 2023 FinCEN call reportedly states that since Samourai never held custody of user funds—lacking access to private keys—it would not meet the threshold to be regulated as an MSB. Even FinCEN staff acknowledged that the government’s argument of “functional control” was speculative at best and untested under existing guidance.Citing this new evidence, the defense has requested a formal hearing to examine the government’s actions and is preparing to renew its motion to dismiss the case. They argue that if Samourai was never a money transmitter by definition, then the charges for lacking a license should never have existed.Both sides have asked for additional time to weigh next steps, especially as the Justice Department recently signaled a shift away from aggressively targeting crypto mixers for regulatory violations.Source link
You may also like

Vitalik Rare Self-Criticism: Ethereum Missed the Really Important Battle
Ethereum can't save the entire world, so what can we do?

SBF's bro turned 225 million into 5.5 billion in one year
Meet the 24-Year-Old AI New "Stock Market Wizard".

These former crypto builders have joined the world's hottest AI project
The Crypto Space Does Not Support Idleness

Key Market Insights for March 5th, how much did you miss out on?
1. Top News: Wall Street's key regulatory agency is moving forward with plans to regulate cryptocurrency and prediction markets
2. Token Unlock: None

Crypto VC Inflection Point: The Survival Answers of a16z, Dragonfly, Paradigm
A sign of the maturing Crypto VC space is no longer a sea of sameness but each finding their own path forward.

Is OKX's $25 Billion Valuation Really Justified?
In theory, OKX has tens of millions of new users to tap into in the United States

SBF's little brother turned 225 million into 5.5 billion in one year
Let’s meet the 24-year-old new "stock god" of AI.

In a World of Disruption, How Can Humanities Workers Better Use AI?
This AI in Practice experience is not about teaching you a few magical keywords to memorize; it's more like a methodology.

Anthropic Open Letter: The Hypocritical Sam Altman, PUA Master
OpenAI's extensive PR rhetoric with the Department of War on these issues is either lying or deliberately creating confusion. These facts reveal a pattern of behavior, a pattern I have seen many times in Sam Altman, and I hope everyone can recognize it

On the same day that Kraken's Fedmaster Account was approved, the banking lobbying group immediately launched a counterattack.
Banking Lobby Group Slams Kraken's Approval for "Limited Purpose" Fed Master Account.

Bitwise: This weekend's attack accelerated the on-chain migration of the financial world
The never-ending market has become a global obsession.

Market Downturn: Which Assets Are Worth Watching?
"Whether it can bring benefits to the holder" is one of the key reference indicators.

The real opportunity of stablecoins is not to kill Visa
In the new merchant ecosystem born in the AI era, stablecoins will become the first widely adopted payment infrastructure.

Trump's AI Farce: Insult if You Don't Pay
Dario's all-hands email is full of ad hominem attacks
US & Canada Crypto Tax Season 2026: Official Tax Reporting Support from WEEX × KoinX
Prepare for US & Canada crypto tax season 2026. Learn how to export your WEEX transaction history and access official reporting support through our partnership with KoinX.

Conversation between Tom Lee and "The Big Short" Author: AI has detected bubble signal, crypto correction due to gold liquidity being "siphoned off"
A real bubble occurs when everyone is absolutely certain that "this is definitely not a bubble."

The true reason for Claude's ban, Kraken accessing the Federal Reserve payment system, What is the English community paying attention to?
What Was Trending in the Last 24 Hours?

「Buying the Dip」 of 400,000 BTC: Is $74,000 a Rebound or a Reversal?
BTC price hits a new monthly high.
Vitalik Rare Self-Criticism: Ethereum Missed the Really Important Battle
Ethereum can't save the entire world, so what can we do?
SBF's bro turned 225 million into 5.5 billion in one year
Meet the 24-Year-Old AI New "Stock Market Wizard".
These former crypto builders have joined the world's hottest AI project
The Crypto Space Does Not Support Idleness
Key Market Insights for March 5th, how much did you miss out on?
1. Top News: Wall Street's key regulatory agency is moving forward with plans to regulate cryptocurrency and prediction markets
2. Token Unlock: None
Crypto VC Inflection Point: The Survival Answers of a16z, Dragonfly, Paradigm
A sign of the maturing Crypto VC space is no longer a sea of sameness but each finding their own path forward.
Is OKX's $25 Billion Valuation Really Justified?
In theory, OKX has tens of millions of new users to tap into in the United States