Will Trump Pardon Bitcoin Devs? 🤷♂️ 3,200 Sign Petition Before They Rot in Cell 🚨

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The clamor for a presidential pardon of Samourai wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill grows louder, as Bitcoin enthusiasts and policy groups frantically petition US President Donald Trump to intervene before the pair “graciously” report to prison next year. One imagines they’ll trade coding for calisthenics, though the feds may be surprised by their proficiency in blockchain-based bread-making.

Rodriguez and Hill, sentenced in November to five and four years respectively for conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business (a crime that sounds suspiciously like “being slightly less boring than a tax accountant”), face incarceration in early 2026 unless a pardon descends from the heavens like a crypto-filled manna. Their plea deal-admitting guilt to “conspiring” while dodging laundering charges-reads like a modernist play where the plot is optional.

High-profile figures in the Bitcoin (BTC) community-veteran broadcaster Max Keiser, media entrepreneur Marty Bent, and podcaster Walker America-have rallied to their cause, proving that even in the digital age, one can still “support” someone from the comfort of a Twitter post. A true public service, if ever there was one.

Zack Shapiro of the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) argues that the Samourai case is a masterclass in legal absurdity, likening the prosecution of non-custodial software to fining a typewriter for publishing sedition. “Publishing code is not a felony,” he insists, though the U.S. justice system has yet to receive this memo.

Bitcoin Policy Institute: Pardon would “restore legal clarity”

On Dec. 2, BPI published a treatise decrying the prosecution as a “misapplication of federal law” and a “threat to innovation.” They argue that conflating software publishers with financial intermediaries is as logical as calling a slide rule a stockbroker. The Institute warns that allowing the convictions to stand would “chill innovation”-a dramatic term for making coders swap privacy tools for less exciting hobbies like birdwatching.

“A pardon,” BPI insists, “would correct a clear misapplication of federal law, protect the integrity of long-standing distinctions in financial regulation, and reaffirm that publishing non-custodial software is not-and should not become-a criminal act.” One suspects the Department of Justice might respond with a yawn and a request for more coffee.

Community rallies behind Samourai devs

The petition to pardon the Samourai devs, now boasting 3,200 signatures, has united the Bitcoin community in a digital tea party of outrage. Walker America declared on Dec. 2: “President Trump should pardon the Samourai Wallet developers. If @realDonaldTrump truly wants America to be the Bitcoin capital of the world, then our government must not unjustly incarcerate Bitcoin developers while turning a blind eye to Big Bankers’ crimes.” A noble sentiment, if only the banks were as entertaining to watch as a trial.

“President Trump should pardon the Samourai Wallet developers. If @realDonaldTrump truly wants America to be the Bitcoin capital of the world, then our government must not unjustly incarcerate Bitcoin developers while turning a blind eye to Big Bankers’ crimes.”

Max Keiser, ever the social butterfly, tagged Eric Trump on Nov. 8, writing, “Eric, time to step it up,” as the Samourai case seeped into Trump-world’s inner sanctum. The Libertarian Party of Oregon, meanwhile, championed the cause with the rallying cry “Code IS speech!”-a statement so profound it could only be followed by a shrug and a sip of artisanal kombucha.

Pardons, optics and the billionaire paradox

Trump’s track record of pardons-including Silk Road’s Ross Ulbricht and Binance’s CZ-has sparked whispers of “selective justice” in the Bitcoin community. After all, why pardon a billionaire exchange founder entangled in compliance scandals while two open-source developers face prison? As researcher Kyle Torpey quipped, “The perceived corruption associated with the CZ pardon will look even worse if the Samourai Wallet devs aren’t pardoned for similar charges. How much of World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin does one need to hold to receive a pardon?” A question that smells of satire, but reeks of reality.

As the clock ticks, advocates muse that the coming weeks will reveal whether America remains a haven for innovation-or merely a stage for the emperor’s new clothes. For now, the Samourai devs wait, their fate as uncertain as the price of Bitcoin after a Tesla tweet. But hey, at least prison has better Wi-Fi than the average corporate office. 🐘

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2025-12-04 13:59