Concern Over Congressional Awareness of Prosecutions
I’ve recently realized that several U.S. Congress members who have expressed strong support for Bitcoin are unaware of the ongoing prosecution involving Samourai Wallet developers, Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill. This lack of awareness is astonishing to me as a Bitcoin advocate.
Significance of Current Legal Cases
The legal actions against the Samourai team, alongside the cases concerning Roman Sterlingov—allegedly behind the Bitcoin Fog mixer—and the developers of Tornado Cash, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, are among the most pivotal legal challenges affecting the personal and independent use of Bitcoin today.
Injustice in Prosecution Efforts
Currently, Roman Storm is in jail following a conviction based on no solid evidence, relying solely on unverified claims from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. The developers of Samourai and Tornado Cash face prosecutions under money laundering laws for creating self-custodial software that grants no control over user funds regardless of how it is utilized.
Absurd Ignorance Among Pro-Bitcoin Representatives
It is preposterous that Congress members who identify as Bitcoin supporters are not only ignorant of these matters but also are not discussing them publicly.
Action Proposal for Concerned Citizens
To address this, I urge every U.S. citizen reading this to utilize the template below to reach out to their congressional representatives—especially if they reside in a district represented by someone publicly endorsing Bitcoin.
Template for Communicating with Representatives
I am writing to express my concerns as a citizen of [your State] about an urgent issue regarding the criminal prosecution of open-source developers within the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency community. Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill of Samourai Wallet, alongside Roman Storm and Roman Semenov of Tornado Cash, are facing accusations of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Their sole actions consist of creating and distributing open-source software accessible to the public.
The Importance of Privacy and Safety
Decentralized networks like Bitcoin empower users to manage their financial transactions through open-source software interfacing with decentralized networks. This grants users total control over their assets. As a society, we acknowledge the right to financial privacy, which the Bank Secrecy Act underscores by mandating protective measures for American financial information confidentiality. Tools that help users secure their privacy, such as Samourai Wallet and Tornado Cash, are vital for ensuring both privacy and physical safety, especially given the rise in related crimes as Bitcoin’s popularity grows. I earnestly urge you to investigate these injustices and work towards rectifying these unlawful actions directed at software developers likened to financial institutions unjustifiably.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
