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I hope you are joking. Chokepoint 2.0 During the Biden administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) significantly expanded its enforcement to target privacy-focused cryptocurrency tools, specifically mixers and non-custodial wallets. These cases have sparked intense debate over whether writing and maintaining open-source code can be criminalized as "money transmission." ## Tornado Cash: Roman Storm & [Alexey Pertsev](https://www.google.com/search?q=alexey+pertsev&kgmid=/g/11s9bw7_dd#sv=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_Cw) [1] Tornado Cash, a decentralized mixing protocol on Ethereum, was a primary target for allegedly facilitating over $1 billion in money laundering, including for the North Korean Lazarus Group. [2, 3] * Roman Storm: Arrested in Washington state in August 2023. In August 2025, a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. However, the jury deadlocked on more serious charges of money laundering and sanctions violations, leading to a partial mistrial on those counts. * [Alexey Pertsev](https://www.google.com/search?q=alexey+pertsev&kgmid=/g/11s9bw7_dd#sv=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): While the Biden administration's DOJ pursued charges in the U.S., Pertsev was arrested in the Netherlands in 2022 and sentenced to 64 months (5 years and 4 months) in prison in May 2024 for money laundering related to the protocol. * Roman Semenov: A third co-founder who was indicted alongside Storm but currently remains at large. [2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] ## Samourai Wallet & Whirlpool: Keonne Rodriguez & William Hill In April 2024, the DOJ arrested the founders of Samourai Wallet, a Bitcoin-focused privacy application. This case was notable because it targeted a non-custodial wallet—where users keep their own private keys—for its built-in mixing features, Whirlpool and Ricochet. [10, 11, 12] * Keonne Rodriguez (CEO): Arrested in Pennsylvania and pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy to operate a money-transmitting business. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison in November 2025. * William Lonergan Hill (CTO): Arrested in Portugal and extradited to the U.S.. He also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 years in prison in November 2025. * Allegations: Prosecutors argued that despite being "non-custodial," the developers actively marketed the service as "money laundering for bitcoin" and charged fees to facilitate the obscuring of over $2 billion in transactions. [10, 12, 13, 14, 15] ## Other Privacy-Related Arrests * Roman Sterlingov (Bitcoin Fog): The operator of one of the longest-running Bitcoin mixers was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to 150 months (12.5 years) for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars from darknet markets. [16] Would you like to know more about the legal defense funds for these developers or the appeals currently moving through the courts? [1] [https://www.wired.com](https://www.wired.com/story/tornado-cash-money-laundering-case-crypto-privacy/) [2] [https://www.justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/founder-tornado-cash-crypto-mixing-service-convicted-knowingly-transmitting-criminal) [3] [https://www.fbi.gov](https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/tornado-cash-co-founders-accused-of-helping-cybercriminals-launder-stolen-crypto) [4] [https://www.justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/tornado-cash-founders-charged-money-laundering-and-sanctions-violations) [5] [https://www.venable.com](https://www.venable.com/insights/publications/2025/09/cryptocurrency-victory-amid-a-shifting-political) [6] [https://www.mayerbrown.com](https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2025/08/the-tornado-cash-trials-mixed-verdict-implications-for-developer-liability) [7] [https://www.reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/us-scraps-sanctions-tornado-cash-crypto-mixer-accused-laundering-north-korea-2025-03-21/) [8] [https://www.asisonline.org](https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/06/legal-report/) [9] [https://therecord.media](https://therecord.media/tornado-cash-money-laundering-conviction) [10] [https://www.justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/founders-samourai-wallet-cryptocurrency-mixing-service-sentenced-five-and-four-years) [11] [https://www.moneylaunderingnews.com](https://www.moneylaunderingnews.com/2025/12/the-prosecution-of-samourai-wallet-developers-expanding-the-reach-of-crypto-enforcement/) [12] [https://finance.yahoo.com](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-confirms-samourai-bitcoin-wasn-064035236.html) [13] [https://www.justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/founders-and-ceo-cryptocurrency-mixing-service-arrested-and-charged-money-laundering) [14] [https://www.irs.gov](https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/founders-of-samourai-wallet-cryptocurrency-mixing-service-plead-guilty#:~:text=Rodriguez%2C%20of%20Harmony%2C%20Pennsylvania%2C%20and%20Hill%2C%20a,Rodriguez%20and%20Hill%20agreed%20to%20forfeit%20$237%2C832%2C360.55.) [15] [https://www.justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/media/1349321/dl) [16] [https://globalinvestigationsreview.com](https://globalinvestigationsreview.com/guide/the-guide-anti-money-laundering/third-edition/article/us-government-cracks-down-money-laundering-through-digital-assets)
Great question, hard to narrow down the best resources. For books, I would start with "The Price of Tomorrow" by Jeff Booth for an interesting primer, and then go to "Broken Money" by Lyn Alden for a deep dive. People will also cite "The Bitcoin Standard", which is good but I find the author a bit annoying at moments. For podcasts, it's hard to beat their early episodes of the "What is Money" show by Robert Breedlove. Especially the Saylor series, which was Saylors start as the main thinker in the space (and now the main holder). There is also a hour-long [interview between Saylor and Tucker Carlson](https://youtu.be/wdJFeSY8UVk?si=ZQD_nYtiHCHzVFCs) that is good. I don't love TC, but he does a great job interviewing here. And this right here, is the [single most interesting BTC video](https://youtu.be/RgBvr6InEpk?si=NOuIANLRKP7RG9eg) video I've ever seen. Good luck, and have fun. Feel free to send me any questions!
Meanwhile the past 3 months 
*Come on baby ride it! Come ride it!* *Come baby ride the choo choo train!!!* https://youtu.be/cPz16LHTtpo?si=qyo6fS2E00RG6uXJ
Just launched $RG – Relax Guyyyy 🇺🇸🦅🟠
Or.... Put everything you have into bitcoin every time you have it. I leave 50 bucks in my account for gas and whatever, then go enjoy the things I already own. You remember when you didn't have that cool thing you have right now? And then you got it? An Ibanez RG Prestige in my case, (it's a fancy Japanese guitar for the normies) Well what about the NEW fancy shmancy one with gold and chrome? To that I say *cool, what about it?*
