The U.S. confirms that Samourai Wallet's Bitcoin will remain in the Strategic Reserve and will not be sold.

Source: Yellow Original Title: U.S. Confirms Samourai Wallet Bitcoin Will Remain in Strategic Reserve, Not Sold

Original Link: The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed on Friday that the Bitcoin confiscated in the high-profile Samourai Wallet case has not been sold or liquidated and will instead remain on the federal government’s balance sheet as part of the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve (SBR, as it is known ), created under Executive Order 14233, according to officials.

Patrick Witt, CEO of the President’s Advisory Council for Digital Assets, stated in a social media post that the Department of Justice reaffirmed that the digital assets “have not been liquidated and will not be liquidated, according to EO 14233” and will be held within the government’s Bitcoin Strategic Reserve.

This clarification comes amid prior speculation and on-chain observations that approximately $6.3 million worth of Bitcoin linked to the Samourai Wallet seizure had moved, prompting some analysts and community members to question whether the assets had been prematurely sold.

Public documents and investigative reports suggested that the movement occurred through a custody address of a regulated custody platform, raising concerns about compliance with the executive order.

Executive Order 14233, signed in March 2025, directs federal agencies to retain Bitcoin obtained through criminal or civil forfeiture and place it into the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve instead of selling it on the open market.

This approach marks a significant departure from the historical practice where seized digital assets were routinely liquidated.

Samourai Wallet and the Legal Controversy

Samourai Wallet was a privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet designed to enhance transaction privacy through features like coin mixing protocols.

It was widely used by individuals seeking greater confidentiality for on-chain transactions and was developed by co-founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill.

Both Rodriguez and Hill were arrested in 2024 and later pleaded guilty in July 2025 to operating an unlicensed money transmission business linked to the wallet’s mixing services, which prosecutors said facilitated the movement of illicit funds.

The case was prosecuted in the Southern District of New York, and both founders were subsequently sentenced to several years in prison.

As part of their plea agreement, the developers agreed to forfeit their Bitcoin holdings, resulting in the seizure of approximately 57 BTC (6.3 million dollars), at the center of the recent debate over the federal handling of seized digital assets.