President Donald Trump said he is open to exploring a pardon for Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez as the case draws renewed attention from the crypto industry.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump acknowledged awareness of the case and indicated he would review the request.
“I’ve heard about it, I’ll look at it,” Trump said.
Trump then addressed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi during the exchange, signalling the issue would be examined further.
“We’ll look at that, Pam,” Trump said.
Rodriguez is scheduled to report to federal prison on Friday to begin serving a five-year sentence.
He was sentenced last month for his role in developing Samourai Wallet, a Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) privacy application.
Prosecutors argued the software functioned as an illegal money transmission service.
The Department of Justice said the tool facilitated illicit financial activity by allowing private transactions.
Rodriguez and co-developer William Longeran Hill were charged during the Biden administration.
Both developers faced potential sentences of up to 25 years if they had gone to trial.
They instead pleaded guilty to one count of operating an illegal money transmitter.
Rodriguez received the maximum sentence of five years, while Hill was sentenced to four years.
The case has alarmed privacy advocates and long-time crypto users.
Critics argue the prosecution has discouraged development of blockchain privacy tools in the United State.
The conviction follows a similar case involving Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) privacy tool developer Roman Storm.
Privacy supporters say private digital transactions were central to Bitcoin’s original design.
Some fear the federal government is undermining that principle despite a more crypto-friendly administration.
Trump’s Justice Department has dismissed several Biden-era crypto cases but allowed this prosecution to proceed.
In April, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche instructed prosecutors to reduce enforcement against crypto privacy tools.
Despite that guidance, prosecutors continued seeking maximum sentences for Rodriguez and Hill.
Rodriguez said he is sceptical about receiving clemency.
“We’re not CZ, we don’t have billions of dollars or that level of influence,” Rodriguez said.
His comment referenced Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who received a presidential pardon earlier this year.
The case is now viewed as a test of how far the administration will go in supporting crypto developers.
At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $85,987.21.