Samourai Bitcoin to Stay in Strategic Reserve

The U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that the Bitcoin forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers will not be sold and will remain part of the United States’ Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR), according to Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets. 

The November forfeiture 

The clarification comes after earlier reports suggested the Department of Justice, via the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Marshals Service, may have liquidated the $6.3 million worth of bitcoin forfeited by Samourai developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill as part of their plea deal.

U.S. prosecutors in the Southern District of New York alleged that Samourai facilitated the transmission of over $2 billion in illicit funds and laundered more than $100 million through criminal markets and fraud schemes. In July 2025, co‑founders Rodriguez and Hill pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Both were sentenced in November 2025 to multi‑year prison terms.

The controversy traces back to the November 2025 forfeiture. Back then, the developers transferred roughly 58 BTC to the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Public filings and investigative reporting indicated the assets were sent to a Coinbase Prime custody address. This raised some concerns that the Bitcoin might have been sold in apparent violation of Executive Order 14233.

The executive order explicitly mandates that bitcoin obtained via criminal or civil forfeiture should be retained on the federal balance sheet and incorporated into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve instead of being liquidated.

Some speculated that the transaction may have bypassed direct USMS custody. 

In fact, some observers pointed to such patterns within the Southern District of New York. The district prosecuted Samourai Wallet developers and other crypto cases, including high-profile actions against Tornado.  

However, it is now clear that the Bitcoins remain on the U.S. government’s balance sheet, and the US government does not intend to liquidate these coins.