The USMS reportedly sold about $6.3 million worth of Bitcoin forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill as part of their guilty pleas. The sale could violate EO 14233, which requires such Bitcoin to be held in the United States Strategy Bitcoin Reserve rather than liquidated. An asset liquidation document obtained by Bitcoin Magazine shows the defendants transferred 57.55353033 BTC (valued $6,367,139.69 at signing on November 3, 2025) to the USMS, with the bitcoin moving from address bc1q4pntkz06z7xxvdcers09cyjqz5gf8ut4pua22r on November 3, 2025, to Coinbase Prime address 3Lz5ULL7nG7vv6nwc8kNnbjDmSnawKS3n8 (Arkham Intel attributes this address to the brokerage), presumably for sale. The Coinbase Prime address currently has a zero balance, suggesting the sale may have already occurred.
If the USMS sold the bitcoin, it was at DOJ discretion rather than a legal mandate, indicating some DOJ members still view bitcoin as an asset to offload rather than retain as a strategic asset. The Samourai prosecution originated under the previous administration, known for hostility toward noncustodial crypto tools, which aligns with a pattern of treating bitcoin as something to remove from government balance sheets. On April 7, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memo stating the DOJ would stop targeting end users of virtual currencies, but the SDNY proceeded with the Samourai Wallet and Tornado Cash cases. Brady requests revealed that two high-ranking FinCEN officials strongly suggested Samourai Wallet was not serving as a money transmitter due to its noncustodial nature, yet the prosecution continued.
The sale raises questions about the ongoing regulatory stance and the future of crypto policy, with some supporters urging that EO 14233 be followed and the government treat Bitcoin as a strategic asset. President Trump has signaled potential pardons for Rodriguez and may order a DOJ review of the sale’s legality, indicating a pro-crypto tilt. Observers note the episode intersects with shifting DOJ guidance and ongoing cases like Samourai Wallet and Tornado Cash, and its outcome could influence forfeiture practices and federal crypto asset management.
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