Samourai Wallet Lawyers Allege Prosecutors Hid Crucial FinCEN Guidance

By: cryptosheadlines|2025/05/06 17:15:01
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Airdrop Is Live CaryptosHeadlines Media Has Launched Its Native Token CHT. Airdrop Is Live For Everyone, Claim Instant 5000 CHT Tokens Worth Of $50 USDT. Join the Airdrop at the official website, CryptosHeadlinesToken.com Lawyers representing Samourai Wallet’s co-founders have accused federal prosecutors of withholding key information from the court. The defense claims that U.S. prosecutors knew months in advance that Samourai Wallet did not legally require a license from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), but proceeded with criminal charges anyway.FinCEN GuidanceAccording to a May 5 letter filed in Manhattan federal court, attorneys for Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill assert that FinCEN officials told prosecutors in a 2023 phone call that Samourai Wallet likely wouldn’t be classified as a “Money Services Business” (MSB). If true, that would mean the company was not obligated to obtain a license under federal guidelines.Yet, six months later, Rodriguez and Hill were indicted for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to launder money. The charges—made public in April 2024—allege that Samourai enabled over $2 billion in concealed transactions, including $100 million tied to illicit activity on darknet markets.The crux of the defense’s argument lies in timing. Prosecutors, the letter says, were legally required to disclose their FinCEN correspondence by May 8, 2024. However, this information was only made available to the defense in April 2025, nearly a full year later. This delay, lawyers claim, robbed Rodriguez and Hill of a fair chance to contest the charges earlier.Defense Demands Answers Over Late DisclosureCrucially, a prosecutor’s internal email summarizing the 2023 FinCEN call reportedly states that since Samourai never held custody of user funds—lacking access to private keys—it would not meet the threshold to be regulated as an MSB. Even FinCEN staff acknowledged that the government’s argument of “functional control” was speculative at best and untested under existing guidance.Citing this new evidence, the defense has requested a formal hearing to examine the government’s actions and is preparing to renew its motion to dismiss the case. They argue that if Samourai was never a money transmitter by definition, then the charges for lacking a license should never have existed.Both sides have asked for additional time to weigh next steps, especially as the Justice Department recently signaled a shift away from aggressively targeting crypto mixers for regulatory violations.Source link

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WEEX P2P update: Country/region restrictions for ad posting

To improve ad security and matching accuracy, WEEX P2P now allows advertisers to restrict who can trade with their ads based on country or region. Advertisers can select preferred counterparty locations for a safer, smoother trading experience.

 

I. Overview

When publishing P2P ads, advertisers can now set the following:

Allow only counterparties from selected countries or regions to trade with your ads.

With this feature, you can:

Target specific user groups more precisely.Reduce cross-region trading risks.Improve order matching quality.

 

II. Applicable scenarios

The following are some common scenarios:

Restrict payment methods: Limit orders to users in your country using supported local banks or wallets.Risk control: Avoid trading with users from high-risk regions.Operational strategy: Tailor ads to specific markets.

 

III. How to get started

On the ad posting page, find "Trading requirements":

Select "Trade with users from selected countries or regions only".Then select the countries or regions to add to the allowlist.Use the search box to quickly find a country or region.Once your settings are complete, submit the ad to apply the restrictions.

 

When an advertiser enables the "Country/Region Restriction" feature, users who do not meet the criteria will be blocked when placing an order and will see the following prompt:

If you encounter this issue when placing an order as a regular user, try the following solutions.

Choose another ad: Select ads that do not restrict your country/region, or ads that allow users from your location.Show local ads only: Prioritize ads available in the same country as your identity verification.

 

IV. Benefits

Compared with ads without country/region restrictions, this feature provides the following improvements.

Aspect

Improvement

Trading security

Reduces abnormal orders and fraud risk

Conversion efficiency

Matches ads with more relevant users

Order completion rate

Reduces failures caused by incompatible payment methods

V. FAQ

Q1: Why are some users not able to place orders on my ad?
A1: Their country or region may not be included in your allowlist.

 

Q2: Can I select multiple countries or regions when setting the restriction?
A2: Yes, multiple selections are supported.

 

Q3: Can I edit my published ads?
A3: Yes. You can edit your ad in the "My Ads" list. Changes will take effect immediately after saving.

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