The Ethereum Foundation announced in a post on X on Friday that it will donate $500,000 to the legal defense of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm, while also matching additional donations from the crypto community, up to $750,000. Roman Storm faces charges related to allegedly conspiring to operate a cryptocurrency mixing service as an unlicensed money transmitter.
This announcement comes about a month before Storm is expected to stand trial in New York for money laundering, conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transfer business, and conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions.
The Ethereum Foundation stated, "Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime."
Storm's criminal trial coincides with a time when U.S. authorities appear to be shifting their approach to the regulation of digital assets and related criminal prosecutions.
The lawyers for the Tornado Cash developer requested the case be dismissed last December, after a judge ruled that the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) exceeded its authority in sanctioning the smart contracts of the mixer. As of Friday, the trial is expected to begin on July 14.
In a post on X on Friday, Storm stated, "In 31 days, I will face trial. The Department of Justice (DOJ) wants to bury decentralized finance (DeFi), claiming I should control it, add KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures, and that it should never have been built. The Southern District of New York (SDNY) is trying to crush me, blocking every expert witness. If I lose, DeFi will die with me."
Another Tornado Cash developer, Roman Semenov, who was charged alongside Storm in the same indictment, has not been arrested as of this writing. Reports suggest he may be hiding in Russia.
A third individual associated with Tornado Cash, Alexey Pertsev, was arrested in the Netherlands shortly after the U.S. imposed sanctions on addresses related to the mixing protocol in 2022. In May 2024, he was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to over five years in prison.
The Ethereum Foundation has also pledged $1.25 million to Pertsev's defense fund, citing similar issues related to privacy and code.
The cases of Storm and other Tornado Cash developers have garnered support from advocacy organizations and prominent figures within the crypto industry, who are calling for the charges to be dropped.
Lawyers from Coin Center, the DeFi Education Fund, and the Blockchain Association have all submitted amicus briefs in Storm's case, providing relevant information about the potential consequences if he is convicted. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Paradigm founder Matt Huang have also contributed to the legal fund for the Tornado Cash co-founder.
Related: SharpLink acquires $463 million in Ethereum (ETH), becoming the largest publicly traded holder.
Original article: “Ethereum Foundation Commits $500,000 to Tornado Cash Developer's Defense”
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