Today is the first public court hearing in the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) case against Samourai wallet developers William Lonergan Hill and Keonne Rodriguez since Rodriguez appeared in court for the first hearing of the case on May 28, 2024.
I attended William Lonergan Hill (TDevD/@SamouraiDev) represented in the Southern District of New York @bitcoinmagazine today.
Here’s what I learned: #FreeSamourai #WhereIsTDevD #SamuraiWallet pic.twitter.com/VtZdQd4IJu
— Frank Corva (@frankcorva) July 10, 2024
Hill appeared in court following his uncontested extradition from Lisbon, Portugal, where he currently lives.
The prosecutor did most of the talking during the hearing.
It shared the following information:
- Hill was arraigned the day before, July 9, 2024
- 27 electronic devices seized in Portugal Hill
- Once the FBI extracts and reviews the information on the aforementioned devices, it will provide its findings to The Hill
- It has provided evidence to Rodriguez, Hill’s former partner at Samourai and a co-defendant in the case
- Hill will be released on bail, but the amount was not mentioned
The main argument made during the hearing by the defense, consisting of attorneys Roger Burlingame and Jeffrey Brown, was that Hill waived his extradition rights before being arraigned on extradition charges. .
Key terms of Hill’s bail
The first key provision of Hill’s bail is that he will be allowed to live in Lisbon, Portugal, as the case progresses. Burlingame made the request in a letter filed with the court on July 3, 2024.
The second key condition of Hill’s bail is that he will be required to wear an anklet while on bail in Portugal. Prosecutors noted that the FBI will monitor the anklet during discussions between prosecutors and defense after the formal hearing.
next hearing
The case will be heard on September 10, 2024 at 12:00 noon ET and has been rescheduled from September 4, 2024.
Prosecutors said they planned to present evidence before the next court date.