Code, Compliance, & Consequences: What’s Regulated & What Isn’t | Bitcoin 2026

The federal government is prosecuting open-source Bitcoin developers and the consequences are reshaping the entire industry. At Bitcoin 2026, Sasha Hodder of Hodder Law Firm moderates a powerful legal panel with Tor Ekeland of Tor Ekeland Law, PLLC, defense attorney for Roman Sterlingov, and Zack Shapiro of the Bitcoin Policy Institute. The conversation dives deep into the Samurai Wallet plea deals, the Roman Storm verdict, the failure of the Blanche memo to free the crypto prisoners, and the unregulated forensic software powering federal prosecutions.

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🔶 Moderator: Sasha Hodder - Hodder Law Firm
🔶 Zack Shapiro - Bitcoin Policy Institute
🔶 Tor Ekeland - Tor Ekeland Law, PLLC

Chapters:
1:19 — Inside the Samurai Wallet plea deals and the unjust outcome
2:35 — The Roman Sterlingov story: from Sweden to a 12.5-year sentence
5:14 — Where is the line between software and money transmission?
7:01 — The "frying pan transmits heat" argument from the Tornado Cash brief
8:45 — How the Clarity Act could prevent future prosecutions
9:38 — The willful blindness instruction and the lowering of mens rea
11:22 — Why these are political prosecutions with no real victims
12:46 — Why the Blanche memo hasn't freed the crypto prisoners
14:07 — The AI agentic commerce problem and code as First Amendment speech
16:22 — Tor Ekeland's letter to DOJ and the silence in response
17:43 — Keonne cleaning toilets in prison and the moving-target standards
19:04 — The case for non-custodial regulation under FinCEN's 2019 guidance
20:50 — Tor Ekeland dismantles Chainalysis Reactor at the Daubert hearing
23:00 — Where the line should actually be drawn
24:43 — Zack Shapiro: building our way out the cypherpunk way
25:36 — Why AI is the unlock for non-custodial Bitcoin UX
26:51 — Regulate the regulators: the case against unregulated forensic software
29:02 — How Bitcoiners can help free Sterlingov, Storm, and the Samurai devs

#Bitcoin #Bitcoin2026 #BitcoinConference #BitcoinLaw #FreeSamurai #FreeRoman #FreeKeonne #FreeHill #SamuraiWallet #TornadoCash #BitcoinFog #RomanSterlingov #RomanStorm #SashaHodder #TorEkeland #ZackShapiro #HodderLaw #BitcoinPolicyInstitute #BlancheMemo #ClarityAct #BSA #BankSecrecyAct #BitcoinPrivacy #NonCustodial #BitcoinDevelopers #ChainalysisReactor #CodeAsSpeech #BitcoinPrisoners #MoneyTransmission

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions. Receive SMS online on sms24.me

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