In this episode of Coin Stories, Natalie Brunell sits down with Keonne Rodriguez, CEO of Samourai Wallet, for a wide-ranging — and tough — conversation ahead of Keonne beginning a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate a money transmitting business while knowing the business transmitted criminal proceeds.

Natalie asks Keonne on the government's case, including prosecutors' claims that Samourai's coin-mixing tools amounted to "money laundering," and allegations that he encouraged criminals to use the platform. Keonne responds with his philosophical and practical defense of financial privacy, the distinction between self-custody and the traditional banking system, and what's at stake if privacy tools are effectively outlawed. We discuss:

• Why financial privacy is a human right — and where the line is drawn
• Bitcoin self-custody vs surveillance finance
• What coin mixing is, and why prosecutors call it "money laundering"
• The allegations that Samourai facilitated or encouraged illicit activity
• What the loss of privacy means for freedom in a digital world
• Petition: https://www.change.org/p/stand-up-for-freedom-pardon-the-innocent-coders-jailed-for-building-privacy-tools 

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Order Natalie's new book "Bitcoin is For Everyone," a simple introduction to Bitcoin and what's broken in our current financial system: https://amzn.to/3WzFzfU 

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Coin Stories is powered by Bitwise. Bitwise has over $10B in client assets, 32 investment products, and a team of 100+ employees across the U.S. and Europe, all solely focused on Bitcoin and digital assets since 2017. Learn more at https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com 

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This podcast is for educational purposes and should not be construed as official investment advice.

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