BleepingComputer reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed charges against cryptocurrency mixer service Samourai founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill for engaging in a far-reaching money laundering scheme.
Aside from using Samourai to launder more than $100 million worth of cryptocurrency amassed from cybercrime schemes and dark web marketplaces, Rodriguez and Hill — both of whom were arrested on Wednesday — have also leveraged the service's Whirlpool cryptomixer to execute more than $2 billion worth of illicit transactions from 2015 to February 2024, as well as provided access to the Ricochet service that allowed stealthy transmission of cryptocurrency assets, according to the Justice Department. Both defendants, who have amassed nearly $4.5 million from Whirlpool and Ricochet transactions, could be imprisoned for up to 25 years for their charges.
"While offering Samourai as a 'privacy' service, the defendants knew that it was a haven for criminals to engage in large-scale money laundering and sanctions evasion," said the Justice Department.
