White House Confirms: Samourai BTC Stays in Strategic Reserve 🇺🇸
Big clarification coming out of the White House today regarding the $6.4M in Bitcoin seized from the Samourai Wallet developers. Patrick Witt confirmed that despite the initial fears, these funds are not being liquidated. Instead, they are officially joining the national Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
There was a lot of confusion because the signed plea deal with developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill actually contained language about liquidating the assets. However, Executive Order 14233 takes precedence here, ensuring the Bitcoin stays on the government's balance sheet rather than being dumped on the market.
While this is a bullish signal for price (showing the US is serious about holding seized assets), it’s still a bittersweet moment for privacy advocates, as the developers have already begun serving their 4 and 5-year sentences.
