Today, the fourth pre-trial hearing for the United States’ case against the Samourai Wallet developers took place in the Southern District of New York.
This is the second time that the two developers, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, have appeared together in public since the previous status conference, which occurred on September 17, 2024.
Today’s hearing was the shortest and least substantive of the four pre-trial hearings that have occurred thus far.
Pre-Trial Motion Schedule
At the hearing, the prosecution and the defense established and agreed upon the pre-trial motion schedule schedule, which is as follows:
- May 9, 2025 — Opening motion
- June 6, 2025 — The prosecution’s response to the opening motion
- June 20, 2025 — Replies to the prosecution’s response
Expert Disclosure
The prosecution is scheduled to provide its expert disclosure on July 15, 2025, while the defense is expected to provide it by August 8, 2025.
Further expert disclosure may also be permitted on July 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM EST, which is the date for the next in-person pre-trial hearing.
Hill To Remain In Lisbon
Hill’s attorney asked Judge Richard Berman, who is presiding over the case, if the court would be amenable to the court not requiring Hill’s appearance at future pre-trial hearings given that Hill is currently living with his wife in Lisbon, Portugal and traveling back and forth to New York City is expensive.
His attorney also stated that pre-trial services were “supportive” of this request.
The judge stated that he didn’t see a problem with this.
Rodriguez Expresses Gratitude
After the hearing, Rodriguez told Bitcoin Magazine that he‘s grateful to all those who’ve donated to the Peer-to-Peer Rights Fund, which helps to fund the developers’ legal defense.
Those interested can still donate to the fund.
Trial Start Date
The trial is slated to begin on November 3, 2025.
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Frank Corva