The "What is Money?" Show The War on Privacy, Bitcoin, and Personal Freedom w/ Keonne Rodriguez
Jan 30, 2026
Keonne Rodriguez, software developer and co‑founder of Samurai Wallet known for building noncustodial Bitcoin privacy tools. He recounts the FBI raid, the design and launch of Whirlpool coinjoin for mobile privacy, and the legal battle over whether building privacy-preserving code can equal criminal intent. Short, tense, and focused on tech, law, and personal freedom.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Regulatory Guidance Backed Non-Custodial Design
- Regulators (FinCEN) previously said non-custodial services that don't take control are not money transmitters.
- Samurai relied on that guidance while developing Whirlpool and other privacy features.
Wide-Ranging Seizures And Global Sweep
- The FBI seized all electronic devices from Keonne's home and servers from Samurai's Iceland hosting provider as part of a multi-jurisdiction operation.
- Co-founder Bill was arrested in Portugal while servers were taken offline.
Indictment Relied On Meme Tweets
- After arrest, Keonne learned he faced conspiracy charges for money laundering and operating an unlicensed money service business.
- He discovered prosecutors relied partly on public 'welcome new' meme tweets as evidence of intent.