October 6, 2024 | 2 min read | News
Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm has expressed deep gratitude towards Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin for his generous $240,000 donation to support his legal defense. This donation marks Buterin’s third contribution to Storm’s legal fund as the developer faces serious legal charges in the U.S. related to his work with Tornado Cash.
Vitalik’s latest donation of 100 Ether has pushed the total raised for Roman Storm’s defense to over $785,000, with contributions from 148 donors so far. This support will help cover Storm’s legal expenses as he prepares for his trial in New York this December. Roman Storm expressed his heartfelt appreciation, saying, “I can’t put into words how much it means to me. I am grateful for your enduring support.”
New York Court Moves Forward with Tornado Cash Trial
In September, a New York court ruled that the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Roman Storm would continue. Despite Storm’s appeal to dismiss the charges, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York decided that the case would proceed. Storm argued that coding should be protected under the First Amendment as a free speech, but the judge rejected this defense, stating that the functional nature of code differs from speech.
The trial is set to begin on December 2, 2024, with both Roman Storm and his co-developer Roman Semenov facing charges including money laundering conspiracy, running an unlicensed money-transmitting business, and violating international sanctions. If convicted, Roman Storm could face up to 45 years in prison.
Support from the crypto community continues to grow, with many advocating for transparency and fairness in the trial. Tornado Cash, the open-source software at the heart of the case, has been defended as a tool available to everyone, rather than a product controlled by its creators.
As the trial date approaches, the community remains steadfast in its support of Roman Storm, with many calling for a fair and balanced legal process.
