Why Is Keonne Rodriguez Being Moved Again?
Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez says he faces another federal prison transfer after the drug-treatment program at FCI McKean was deactivated, potentially sending him through the Bureau of Prisons transfer system only months after a journey he described as the “absolute worst 30 days” of his life.
Rodriguez said Wednesday that McKean’s warden informed participants that he and about 70 other prisoners would be transferred to institutions where the treatment program remains available. The Bureau of Prisons has not publicly confirmed the individual transfer destinations.
The program matters because successful completion could reduce Rodriguez’s prison term by as much as one year. He entered McKean after previously serving time at FPC Morgantown, where he began his five-year federal sentence following the Samourai Wallet prosecution.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy to operate a money-transmitting business that transmitted criminal proceeds. The Justice Department said Rodriguez and co-founder William Lonergan Hill knowingly transmitted more than $237 million in criminal proceeds through Samourai. Hill received a four-year prison sentence, while Rodriguez received five years.
How Did a Four-Hour Transfer Take 30 Days?
Rodriguez has separately described how his previous move from Morgantown to McKean turned what would have been roughly a four-hour drive into a month-long process through the federal prisoner transport network.
In a letter published this week, Rodriguez said he requested permission to travel independently to McKean at his own expense but was denied. He said prisoners leaving Morgantown were placed in ankle shackles and handcuffs attached to waist chains before being transported by bus and aircraft through the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City.
Rodriguez said he spent much of the journey confined to cells alongside prisoners with different security classifications. He described sharing one cell with an inmate serving time for murder and said that during another part of the trip he was given only part of a foam mattress, leaving part of his body resting on the metal bunk.
His account is personal rather than an independent assessment of Bureau of Prisons transfer conditions, but the new program closure means he could now face another relocation if he wants to remain eligible for the sentence-reduction opportunity.
Investor Takeaway
Rodriguez’s prison transfer has little direct market impact, but the Samourai case remains relevant to a larger U.S. policy fight over when software developers become financial intermediaries. Congress has considered protections for developers who do not control customer assets, but that legislation has not become law.
Why Does the Samourai Case Still Matter for Crypto Developers?
The Samourai prosecution became part of a wider debate over the legal exposure facing developers of privacy tools, self-custody wallets and decentralized financial software.
Rodriguez and Hill ultimately pleaded guilty to the money-transmission conspiracy charge, avoiding trial on more serious allegations that carried substantially higher potential sentences.
At the same time, lawmakers have been considering legislation designed to distinguish developers who merely write or publish software from businesses that actually take control of customer funds.
Versions of the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act would generally prevent a non-controlling blockchain developer from being treated as a money transmitter solely for publishing software, providing self-custody technology or supplying blockchain infrastructure. The provisions do not create blanket immunity for conduct outside those activities, including conduct otherwise covered by anti-money-laundering law.
That distinction is important in discussing Samourai. Developer protections proposed by Congress would not automatically reverse Rodriguez’s conviction or establish that the conduct covered by his guilty plea would qualify for protection.
What Happens After the CLARITY Act Setback?
The latest version of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act retained protections for certain non-controlling developers, but the Senate failed to advance the legislation on September 15.
The procedural vote was 49-50 against invoking cloture on the motion to proceed, short of the 60 votes required. It was not a final vote rejecting the bill itself, but it blocked the legislative route supporters had been pursuing before the November elections.
Developer treatment is also developing through regulators rather than Congress alone. The CFTC recently provided limited relief for passive derivatives software developers, drawing a distinction between providing technology and actively acting as a financial intermediary.
That leaves the broader issue unresolved. Congress has considered statutory protections, regulators are defining narrower exemptions within their own jurisdictions, and criminal cases such as Samourai continue to shape how developers assess the boundary between writing software and operating a regulated financial service.
For Rodriguez, however, the immediate issue is more practical. If McKean’s treatment program remains unavailable, he may have to enter the federal transfer system again to preserve a potential reduction in the five-year sentence he is already serving.
