Keonne Rodriguez’s wife and an advocate for the two families. She speaks about the raid, the plea, and the effort to support Bill and Keonne.
View Lauren’s guest profile →
Watch E004 ↗Episode 005 · October 27
Free
Samourai
Lauren Rodriguez and Rafael Yakobi join James Babb to tell the human story behind the Samourai Wallet prosecution.
James BabbLauren RodriguezRafael Yakobi
Premieres Tuesday, October 27, 2026 · 8:00 PM ET
EOTS / E005Premieres October 27
The YouTube Premiere link will appear here when it is available.
The conversation
When a privacy tool becomes a federal case.
Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill built Samourai Wallet, a Bitcoin privacy tool. Both pleaded guilty to a money-transmission conspiracy and are now serving five- and four-year prison sentences. Lauren Rodriguez describes the arrest, the pressure of the plea decision, and the consequences for their families. Attorney Rafael Yakobi examines the disputed legal theory and the questions it raises for people who build software.
Financial privacySoftware and responsibilityMoney transmissionThe plea decisionFamily impact
In this episode
The people closest to the case.
Attorney discussing the money-transmission theory, FinCEN guidance, and the stakes of applying that theory to non-custodial software.
View Rafael’s guest profile →Hosted by
James Babb
James guides the conversation from the mechanics of the wallet to the people living with the case’s consequences.
View host profile →Show notes + sources
References from the conversation.
Samourai Wallet founders sentenced
The Justice Department's account of the guilty pleas and the five- and four-year sentences.
U.S. Attorney · Southern District of New York ↗The original charges
The government’s 2024 arrest announcement and description of its allegations against the founders.
U.S. Attorney · Southern District of New York ↗The FinCEN disclosure dispute
The defense’s account of a pre-indictment conversation with FinCEN personnel. This was not a formal agency ruling.
Free Samourai · court document archive ↗Support Bill and Keonne
The family campaign’s current resources, updates, and ways to help.
Bill & Keonne campaign ↗