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In a bold legal counteroffensive, developers behind the privacy-focused Samourai Wallet have accused the U.S. federal government of suppressing guidance that could have cleared them of wrongdoing related to their crypto mixing technology.
The allegations come amid a growing legal battle following the arrest of Samourai Wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill, who face charges for allegedly operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and facilitating money laundering through their platform’s Whirlpool mixing feature.
According to court filings, the defense claims that the U.S. Department of Justice failed to disclose internal government guidance or memoranda that may have deemed certain crypto mixing practices as legal or not inherently criminal. Such information, if it exists, could form the basis of a Brady violation—when the prosecution withholds exculpatory evidence from the defense.
Samourai Wallet has long promoted financial privacy tools, arguing that transaction mixing is essential for protecting user anonymity in a surveillance-heavy digital world. The DOJ, however, has increasingly taken aim at privacy protocols, labeling them as enablers of illicit finance.
The case marks a flashpoint in the broader debate over crypto privacy, government oversight, and the limits of financial self-sovereignty. If the court finds merit in the suppression claims, it could significantly alter the legal landscape for crypto privacy tools—and potentially reshape the ongoing regulatory crackdown.
Legal observers are closely watching the case, as it may set precedent on how U.S. authorities handle privacy-centric blockchain technologies and the developers behind them.
