Key takeaways
- Organizer Rick Messitt runs a Bitcoin-only prize draw at freesamourai(dot)now to support Samourai Wallet's two imprisoned developers.
- The freesamourai(dot)now draw pays 50% of funds to one winner via Bitcoin and 50% to the developers' families.
- Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill face mounting legal debt, and the draw also builds awareness for a presidential pardon.
Samourai Wallet supporters launched a Bitcoin-only prize draw at freesamourai(dot)now, run by prize draw organizer Rick Messitt (@RMessitt), to raise funds for the families and legal debt of imprisoned developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill. Messitt said in a September 25, 2026 post on X that entries would open in 24 hours, and BitcoinNewsCom reported on September 26 that the draw had launched with a live jackpot.
The prize draw also aims to build awareness to advocate for a potential presidential pardon for Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill.
How the Pot Is Split
Fifty percent of all funds raised go directly to one winner via Bitcoin. The remaining 50% goes to support the families of the two imprisoned developers.
That split turns each entry into two things at once: a shot at the winner's half, paid via Bitcoin, and a contribution toward the families of Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill and their mounting legal debt and fines.
Because the draw is Bitcoin-only, supporters of Samourai Wallet send funds to the families in bitcoin rather than through a bank or payment processor.
Who Organized the Draw
Rick Messitt (@RMessitt) organized the prize draw for Samourai Wallet supporters. His September 25, 2026 post on X said entries for the prize draw would open in 24 hours.
A day later, on September 26, 2026, BitcoinNewsCom reported on X that the prize draw had launched with a live jackpot.
Messitt organized the prize draw for Samourai Wallet supporters, pairing funds for the families of Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill with awareness for a potential presidential pardon.
The Pardon Campaign
Beyond raising funds, the prize draw aims to build awareness to advocate for a potential presidential pardon for Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill.
The families of the two imprisoned developers, and their mounting legal debt and fines, receive the 50% of funds raised that does not go to the winner.
Why It Matters
Samourai Wallet supporters are routing bitcoin to the families of imprisoned developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill, whose legal debt and fines keep mounting, and that shows Bitcoiners can fund their own defense without asking a bank or payment processor for permission. Because 50% of all funds raised goes to the families via Bitcoin, the prize draw turns sovereignty from a slogan into a payment that no intermediary can block. In our view, a campaign for a presidential pardon for developers of a Bitcoin wallet reflects a wider fight over whether building Bitcoin software stays a free activity, and the Samourai Wallet supporters behind the prize draw have chosen to answer it in bitcoin.
