The individual within the shared case
One prosecution. Two defendants. Separate lives and sentences.
Hill and Rodriguez built and operated Samourai Wallet together, and the federal case against them is inseparable. But Hill’s record is his own: he served as CTO, was arrested in Portugal, extradited to the United States, entered his own guilty plea, and received a four-year sentence. His supporters argue that applying money-transmission law to privacy software threatens developers and financial privacy beyond either defendant.
Hill pleaded guilty on July 30, 2025, and was sentenced on November 19, 2025, to four years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors said Hill helped design and promote Samourai to transmit and conceal criminal proceeds and cited his public and private statements about illicit use.
Supporters describe Samourai as non-custodial privacy software and argue that imprisoning its developers creates a dangerous precedent for people who build privacy tools.
Editorial note: This profile is defense-centered advocacy. Hill’s plea and sentence, government allegations and evidence, campaign arguments, and the separate record of co-defendant Keonne Rodriguez are labeled distinctly.