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U.S. federal prosecutors and co-founders of the crypto mixer Samourai Wallet requested the court for more time to consider the possibility of dismissing the case after the Justice Department lifted enforcement measures on crypto assets.
Attorneys for Samourai Wallet CEO Kionne Rodriguez and Chief Technology Officer William Hill stated in a letter to Manhattan federal judge Richard Berman on April 28 that they jointly requested from the government 'a 16-day extension of the pretrial motion schedule.'
Attorneys for Samourai leaders stated on April 10 that they wrote to acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton requesting to dismiss the case after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch disbanded the Justice Department's crypto team on April 7.
'On April 24, 2025, defense attorneys met with prosecutors and their supervisors in person at the U.S. Attorney's office to discuss this request,' the attorneys stated.
'The defendants believe that extending the pretrial motion schedule is justified to allow them to avoid significant costs in preparing their motions while the government determines its position,' the letter states.
It also states that prosecutors agreed to postpone the hearing 'without expressing any opinions on the merits.'
Rodriguez and Hill of Samourai Wallet were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transfer business in April 2024, which they both pleaded not guilty to.
In a memorandum, Blanch stated: 'The Justice Department is not the regulator of digital assets,' and it will refrain from enforcement and investigations except those 'focused on prosecuting individuals who defraud investors in digital assets or those who use digital assets to facilitate criminal activity.'
Currently, motions in the case of Samourai leaders must be filed by May 13, responses must be filed by June 10, and replies by June 24. The letter proposes to move this to May 29 for motions, June 26 for responses, and July 10 for replies.
The postponement will not affect the date of the trial, which is scheduled for early November.
The list of litigations regarding crypto legal disputes is lengthening.
This step is the latest in a long list of legal actions to overturn prosecutors' crypto cases under the Trump administration's favorable position towards the industry.
On the topic: The SEC stated that it will not refile fraud charges against Richard Heart of Hex.
On April 9, SafeMoon CEO Braden John Karony, accused of electronic fraud and money laundering, referred to the Blanch directive in an attempt to dismiss his case.
Meanwhile, on April 28, the DeFi Education Fund filed a petition with the White House to drop charges against Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm and demanded immediate action to 'end the Biden-era Justice Department's unlawful campaign to criminalize open-source software development.'
