Never sell your (seized) Bitcoin đź”’

Did the U.S. really unload the BTC it seized from the convicted Samourai Wallet devs? Nope, says the White House crypto czar.

Author

Guillermo Jimenez
January 17, 2026

đź“ť What you need to know

In a case of “good news, bad news” for Bitcoin advocates and investors, the White House announced Friday that the nearly $6.4 million in Bitcoin seized from the incarcerated Samourai Wallet devs has not been liquidated, despite prior reports.

The attorneys for convicted developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill had last month raised concerns over a signed asset liquidation agreement with federal prosecutors, which they claimed violated President Donald Trump’s executive order establishing a federal Bitcoin reserve.

Patrick Witt, executive director of President Trump’s Digital Assets Council, said Friday he looked into it and confirmed with the DOJ that the funds had not been sold and would, in fact, be added to the so-called Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Last month, just before Rodriguez was set to report to prison, Decrypt asked President Trump if he would consider pardoning the developer of the privacy-preserving app, who his supporters say was unjustly prosecuted. Trump said he would “look at” the request and asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate, but a pardon has yet to materialize. The odds of a pardon before February on Myriad, a prediction market developed by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, stand at just 7.5%.

Bitcoin Seized From Samourai Wallet Has Not Been Sold, White House Says - Decrypt

Advocates for the incarcerated Samourai developers have argued that the DOJ liquidated the Bitcoin funds against the president’s wishes.

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 đź’¬ Quote of the Day

âťť

“After seeing all the lies and manipulation done by the [prosecutors] in the Samourai case, I wouldn’t put it past them.”

Lauren Emily Rodriguez, wife of Keonne, is skeptical of the USG’s statements on the seized Bitcoin.

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