Crypto Chaos: Feds Hit Snooze on Samourai Wallet Case—What’s Next? 🤔💸

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So here’s a plot twist worthy of the latest binge-worthy drama: US federal prosecutors and the brains behind Samourai Wallet—the crypto mixer that sounds like a French dessert but isn’t—have jointly asked the court to hit the pause button on their little legal tango. Apparently, the Justice Department’s sudden “Nah, we’ll chill on the crypto crackdowns” mood has everyone scratching their heads (and checking their wallet balances).

Lawyers for CEO Keonne Rodriguez and CTO William Hill penned a love letter (okay, a formal April 28 memo) to Manhattan’s very own Judge Richard Berman, requesting a sweet 16-day extension to the pretrial motions schedule. Because who doesn’t love a good delay? Especially when you can avoid the expensive nightmare of prepping legal paperwork while the government figures out if they still want to play ball.

Back on April 10, these savvy legal eagles nudged Acting Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton, saying, “Hey, maybe just toss this case in the bin?” Following that delightful April 7 memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that basically said, “We’re not the crypto police anymore, folks.”

Then, on April 24, there was an in-person powwow at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, kind of like a tense family dinner but with subpoenas replaced by coffee cups. Prosecutors graciously nodded to the extension request—without actually saying if they think the case is brilliant or bonkers, mind you.

To recap drama style: Samourai Wallet’s dynamic duo were hit with conspiracy and money laundering charges back in April 2024, pleaded not guilty, and now they’re playing what could be called the “Will they or won’t they drop this?” game.

Deputy AG Blanche threw some shade, reminding everyone, “The DOJ isn’t your neighborhood digital assets regulator,” and will now pick its battles like a cat with laser pointers—focused only on crypto crooks who hurt investors or commit crimes, not these guys mixing virtual cocktails.

Samourai Wallet legal saga

The Never-Ending Saga 📜

This isn’t just a one-off episode. Since the Trump era’s crypto-friendly mic drop, we’ve seen a parade of prosecutors tossing their cases like hot potatoes. SafeMoon CEO Braden John Karony tried the same “Hey, DOJ, remember that memo?” trick in his wire fraud and money laundering saga just days before.

Not to be outdone, the DeFi Education Fund recently begged the White House to put Roman Storm from Tornado Cash out of the prosecutors’ crosshairs, calling the DOJ’s recent crusade against open-source software “lawless” and basically asking, “Can we all just get along?”

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2025-04-29 07:57