Samourai Pockets attorneys and U.S. prosecutors have collectively requested an extension for his or her respective pretrial motions after the Division of Justice (DOJ) shifted its stance on digital asset litigation earlier this month, an April 28 courtroom submitting exhibits.
Samourai Pockets Founders Push To Drop Case
Based on a Monday letter addressed to U.S. District Decide Richard M. Berman of the Southern District of New York, authorized representatives for Samourai Pockets founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill are asking for a 16-day extension after beforehand drafting a letter requesting dismissal of the case earlier this month.
“The Defendants consider {that a} continuance of the pretrial motions schedule is warranted to allow Defendants to keep away from the numerous expense of making ready their motions whereas the Authorities determines its place in response to the Defendants’ letter,” attorneys for the crypto executives state.
Rodriguez and Hill initially despatched the indictment dismissal request on April 10, simply three days after DOJ Deputy Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche issued a memo stating that the company would halt regulatory-focused digital asset instances.
scoop: the DOJ is disbanding its crypto unit, in response to a four-page memo deputy AG Todd Blanche despatched out to all employees.https://t.co/ofpqBSibCM pic.twitter.com/AqD0EsoXmd
— Ben Weiss (@bdanweiss) April 8, 2025
“The Justice Division will not pursue litigation or enforcement actions which have the impact of superimposing regulatory frameworks on digital property whereas President Trump’s precise regulators do that work outdoors the punitive legal justice framework,” the memo reads.
A Shift In U.S. Crypto Coverage
The unofficial keep in proceedings could possibly be a constructive indicator for Samourai Pockets’s destiny after Hill and Rodriguez have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit cash laundering and working an unlicensed money-transmitting enterprise in April 2024.
U.S. prosecutors alleged that the duo facilitated over $2 billion in illicit transactions, together with $100 million in money-laundering transactions tied to darkish net markets.
Each Hill and Rodriguez may resist 25 years behind bars for the crimes, although the DOJ’s current shift in crypto coverage could alter their destiny.
The submit Samourai Pockets Dismissal Bid Features Steam After DOJ Coverage Pivot, 16-Day Delay appeared first on Cryptonews.