Roman Storm to Face Trial on Charges of Money Laundering and Sanctions Evasion

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by Giorgi Kostiuk

2 years ago

Roman Storm, co-founder of the crypto mixer Tornado Cash, is poised for trial after the court denied his request to dismiss allegations regarding his role in the platform.

The Court Insists on Charges

Storm was arrested in Auburn, Washington, and subsequently released on a $2 million bail. His defense team aims to argue for a dismissal of the charges by claiming Storm had no direct role in how the platform was utilized. They contend that Tornado Cash is self-operating software, and Storm lost control after its deployment on the Ethereum blockchain in 2019. However, Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled that control is not a necessary condition to prove guilt.

The Crypto Community Reacts

The crypto community has responded strongly to the recent ruling. Amanda Tuminelli, legal head of the DeFi Education Fund, argued that developers should not be held responsible for illegal activities committed by third parties misusing open-source software. Notable crypto lawyer Jake Chervinsky criticized the decision, stating, 'This ruling is an attack on the freedom of software developers.'

Challenges of Tornado Cash

The trial date of December 2 is seen as a critical moment regarding the legal treatment of open-source developers in the crypto industry. Tornado Cash, designed to enhance privacy in cryptocurrency transactions, has become controversial due to allegations of its use by hackers associated with North Korea’s Lazarus Group. The platform faced sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department in October 2022, resulting in a 68% drop in total entries by January 2023.

The U.S. Department of Justice claims Tornado Cash received around $1 million in investments from a venture capital firm, using those funds with expectations of sharing profits. Storm’s ongoing case is set to begin in New York in December, with evidence suggesting that the platform’s co-founders extracted millions in cash from TORN assets, indicating Tornado Cash did not operate purely altruistically. The case is poised to ignite significant discussions regarding the legal responsibilities of open-source software.

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