In the United States, the prosecution concluded its investigation phase in the trial of Roman Storm, a developer of Tornado Cash. The court proceedings focus on the role of the protocol and the responsibilities of its creators.
Storm’s Defense Strategy and Witnesses
The first defense witness called by Storm’s lawyers was Ethereum core developer Preston Van Loon, who explained to the jury how he used Tornado Cash as a privacy tool based on Ethereum. Van Loon emphasized that the protocol enables users to separate their identities from financial transactions, stating his choice to utilize it for personal security and protection against cyberattacks.
The defense argues that the primary purpose of Tornado Cash was to meet legitimate privacy needs, although malicious individuals have also exploited it. Storm’s attorney, Keri Axel, highlighted that Tornado Cash could be used for various legal, and sometimes illegal, purposes, similar to a messaging app or a virtual private network.
Prosecution’s Allegations and Witness Conflicts
According to the prosecution, Roman Storm collaborated with Roman Semenov and Alexey Pertsev in operating Tornado Cash, profiting significantly from the sale of cryptocurrencies acquired through the protocol. The prosecution claims that Storm and his team were aware of malicious users, even permitting North Korean hackers to launder money.
Under this framework, three organized crime theories were presented against Storm: conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to circumvent sanctions, and conspiracy to violate international sanctions. If found guilty, Storm could face up to 45 years in prison. The defense contends that Storm did not engage in criminal organization activities and could not foresee how the software would be used.
Expert Witness and Evidence Debate
In the trial, testimonies from victims and attackers highlighted how funds were obfuscated using Tornado Cash. However, despite victim Hanfeng Lin’s claims that his funds went to Tornado Cash, crypto-tracking experts later identified this as incorrect. Nevertheless, Judge Failla permitted IRS agent Stephan George to testify as a prosecution witness.
During cross-examination by defense attorney Axel, George admitted uncertainty regarding how TORN tokens differed from ETH and lacked detailed knowledge about the exchanges used. These discrepancies raised questions about the handling of material evidence and technical details in court.
As the trial involving Storm continues, it brings to the forefront the legal responsibilities of software developers within the crypto world, the balance between combating crimes and maintaining financial privacy. Current sessions discuss the potential for errors in technical tracking methods and whether software developers should be held accountable for users’ actions.
