Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Bill Hill Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Unlicensed Money Transmitting

Why It Matters

The sentencing underscores heightened regulatory scrutiny of cryptocurrency privacy tools and signals that U.S. authorities will pursue criminal liability for unlicensed money‑transmission activities, even when defendants cite neuro‑diversity or age as mitigating factors.

Summary

William “Bill” Hill, 67, co‑founder of the Bitcoin mixing service Samourai Wallet, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote to four years in prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money‑transmitting business, after pleading guilty in July. Prosecutors allege the mixer was used to launder at least $237 million in illicit proceeds. The judge reduced the statutory maximum of 60 months, citing Hill’s recent autism diagnosis and advanced age as mitigating factors, while also imposing three years of supervised release to be served from Lisbon. Hill’s defense argued his autism and misunderstanding of FinCEN regulations led to a “naïve” belief that the service was legal, but the court rejected that excuse.