Roman Storm, co-founder and developer of the Tornado Cash cryptocurrency mixing service, appeared in a video interview ahead of his U.S. criminal trial, which is expected to begin in less than two weeks.

In an interview released on Wednesday by Crypto In America, Storm stated that his legal team plans to respond to allegations of illegal profits stemming from his association with Tornado Cash during the trial.

However, he declined to disclose whether he would testify in his defense against charges of money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business, and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions.

"This will be a decision we have to make," Storm said regarding the possibility of testifying. "I can't say for sure right now. I might, or I might not."

U.S. authorities charged Storm in 2023, about a year after the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on addresses associated with Tornado Cash. The agency claimed that the mixing service facilitated money laundering activities for the North Korean hacking group Lazarus Group.

Another Tornado Cash developer, Roman Semenov, who is charged alongside Storm, remains at large as of the publication of this article. Meanwhile, another co-founder and developer, Alexey Pertsev, has been convicted of money laundering in the Netherlands and sentenced to over five years in prison.

Since his arrest, Storm has received support from many in the crypto industry, who believe that the prosecution against him is an attack on developers and privacy.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Paradigm founder Matt Huang, and the Ethereum Foundation have all donated thousands of dollars to Storm's legal fund. Reports indicate that as of June 26, the fund has exceeded $750,000.

"Clearly, this case has caused me a lot of psychological trauma," Storm said. "It's really hurtful… You believe in certain things, trust your instincts, think it's just a misunderstanding, and then you face such a harsh blow. I definitely need some time to recover before I can return to the work I love."

Storm's trial is expected to begin on July 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Related: U.S. Investigates Negotiators Suspected of Receiving Cryptocurrency Ransom Payments

Original: “Tornado Cash Co-Founder Ambiguous on Testifying Before Trial”

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