Lauren Rodriguez - The Samurai Wallet Story

Jan 12, 2026

Lauren Rodriguez shares her family's harrowing experience following the DOJ's prosecution of her husband, Keonne, co-founder of Samurai Wallet. She recounts a terrifying FBI raid, the implications of financial privacy, and the unjust challenges they faced in the legal system. Discussing the significance of Bitcoin self-custody and how this case discourages developers from embracing privacy measures, Lauren emphasizes the chilling effect it has on innovation. Her passionate advocacy for financial freedom highlights the risks of lost privacy in today's world.

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ANECDOTE

Pre-Dawn Raid And Home Search

The April 24, 2024 pre-dawn raid woke Lauren and Keone with armored vehicles and laser sights on their chests.
Lauren was handcuffed, separated from Keone, and briefly escorted off their property while agents searched their home and flew a drone inside.

ANECDOTE

Samurai Wallet's Privacy Features

Samurai Wallet began around 2015 as a non-custodial Bitcoin wallet with privacy features like Ricochet and Whirlpool.
Whirlpool was a CoinJoin implementation used in multiple wallets and designed to increase privacy by slowing and batching transactions.

INSIGHT

Spending Bitcoin Changes Perspective

Living and earning in Bitcoin shifted Keone's view from speculation to seeing Bitcoin's utility for financial freedom.
Samurai users included people in hostile jurisdictions who relied on privacy tools for safety and access.

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In this episode, I chat with Lauren Rodriguez, wife of Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the privacy-focused Samurai Wallet, about her family’s harrowing journey through the U.S. justice system. Keonne was indicted by the DOJ and sentenced to five years in federal prison for developing non-custodial Bitcoin privacy tools. Lauren walks us through the shocking pre-dawn FBI raid, the trial that never happened, the political motivations behind the charges, and the personal toll of what she believes is a deeply unjust prosecution.

We dive into the philosophical fight for privacy, the role of open-source software, and the chilling effect this case could have on developers everywhere. If you care about privacy, Bitcoin, financial freedom, or due process, this episode is for you.

HELP KEONNE RODRIGUEZ: https://billandkeonne.org/

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• Keonne Rodriguez on X: https://x.com/keonne

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