Ethereum Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to support Roman Storm's legal defense, facing charges associated with Tornado Cash.
Financial Support from Ethereum Foundation
The Ethereum Foundation has pledged $500,000 for the legal defense of Roman Storm. Additionally, the foundation will match up to $750,000 in contributions from the community. "Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime," the organization stated in a post on X.
Charges Against Roman Storm
Roman Storm is set to stand trial in New York on July 14, facing accusations of running Tornado Cash as an unlicensed money transmitter, money laundering, and violating U.S. sanctions. Prosecutors claim that the service was used to obscure billions in illicit transactions linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.
Broader Context and Trial Implications
Storm's case has become a key point of contention in broader discussions over developer liability and financial privacy in decentralized finance. His defense argues that the charges stretch the boundaries of criminal liability, noting that Tornado Cash's smart contracts operate autonomously and are open-source. Storm expressed concerns that losing this case could have devastating effects on decentralized finance.
The support for Storm from the Ethereum Foundation and digital rights groups highlights the significance of protecting developers in the open-source and decentralized technology landscape. The developments surrounding this case could have serious implications not just for Storm, but for the entire DeFi ecosystem.
