According to a report by Bitcoin Magazine, the developers of Samourai Wallet agreed as part of a plea deal to transfer a total of 57.55 BTC (about $6.3 million) to the US Marshals Service. An “Asset Liquidation Agreement” reportedly indicated the confiscated coins were to be sold.
On-chain data shows the BTC amount was moved on November 3 to an address linked to Coinbase Prime, which currently has a zero balance—a detail many interpret as evidence the coins were sold. In an X post, Lummis asked: “Why is the US government still liquidating BTC when the president explicitly ordered these assets to be preserved for our strategic Bitcoin reserve?”
She added: “We cannot afford to waste these strategic assets while other nations are stockpiling Bitcoin.” Lummis, 71, has long been one of the earliest and most vocal political advocates for the crypto sector—especially Bitcoin—and her announcement that she will step down has drawn regret from supporters.
Samourai Wallet was an app available on Google Play that provided coin-mixing tools designed to obscure BTC transaction trails. In 2024, US authorities arrested developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill and shut down the website. The Justice Department described the operation as an “unlicensed money transmitting business” allegedly used by criminals.
However, the alleged sale is disputed. The US Marshals Service told DL News that it “did not sell the Bitcoin in question” and said it did not know how Bitcoin Magazine obtained the information—adding that the outlet “neither fact-checked nor asked us for details.”
