The Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that Bitcoin forfeited in the Samourai Wallet case will be incorporated into the nation’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR). This decision follows initial reports of a potential sale that sparked concerns about compliance with a presidential executive order, highlighting the government’s shift from liquidating seized digital assets to holding them long-term.
Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused Bitcoin mixing service, came under scrutiny in 2024 when its developers, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, were arrested on charges of money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The platform was accused of facilitating over $2 billion in illicit transactions, including funds linked to darknet markets and ransomware operations.
As part of their plea agreements in late 2025, Rodriguez and Hill forfeited approximately 57.55 BTC, valued at around $6.3 million at the time. This forfeiture marked one of the first major cryptocurrency seizures under the second Trump administration, setting the stage for how such assets would be handled under new federal guidelines.
Historically, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) has auctioned off seized Bitcoin, as seen in high-profile cases like the Silk Road takedown. However, this approach changed dramatically with Executive Order 14233, signed by President Donald Trump on March 6, 2025. The order established the SBR as a national stockpile of Bitcoin, mandating that any BTC acquired through criminal or civil forfeiture “shall not be sold” but instead retained as a reserve asset to bolster U.S. economic and technological leadership in digital currencies.
Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, provided the most definitive response. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Witt stated: “The DOJ has confirmed that the digital assets forfeited in the Samourai Wallet case have not been liquidated, per EO 14233. They will remain on the USG balance sheet as part of the SBR.”