Roman Storm’s trial will begin on July 8, in New York.
Storm is raising funds to pay for his expensive legal defense.
In two weeks, Roman Storm, co -founder of Tornado Cash, will face a trial in the Southern District of New York accused of conspiracy to launder money, evade penalties and operate a money transmission business without a license. The possible consequences of a conviction include more than 40 years in prison. Days of this process, Storm warned in an interview about the implications of his case: “If I lose my case, he defines with me,” he said in a recent interview, underlining the impact that a legal defeat could have on the ecosystem of decentralized finances (Defi).
Storm, a Russian software engineer who emigrated to the United States, developed Tornado Cash. As Cryptonotics reported, this is a privacy protocol designed to protect the transactions of its users by allowing deposits and retreats without revealing public information. “We wanted to solve a problem for people who want to use Ethereum legitimately,” he explained, highlighting that the protocol is not under the control of any entity and that its decentralized and immutable design makes it unstoppable, similar to Bitcoin or the Ethereum network itself.
Storm’s trial, which will begin on July 8 with a previous hearing, puts in the center a crucial debate on the responsibility of open source software developers compared to undue use by third parties.
According to Storm, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) pursues it for acts of end users, Although it has no control over the protocol or contact with illicit actorslike the North Korean group Lazarus, accused of using cash tornado to wash stolen funds. “I have no communication with criminals,” he said, noting that he learned of these uses through social networks, like any other citizen.
The case also highlights regulatory tensions. Storm mentioned in the interview The 2019 FINCEN guide, which exempts the money transmission license for a base, a base that gave confidence to develop CASH tornado. However, the DOJ seems to ignore this guideline, maintaining an aggressive position that Storm qualifies as “politics.”
In addition, the recent decision of the Court of Appeals of the Fifth Circuit, which annulled Sanctions of the Ofac against Tornado Cash for considering the uncontrollable code, has not changed the position of the DOJ.
The co -founder expressed concern about the impact of his case on technological innovation. “If I lose, I don’t think it’s good for anyone in the world of defi or software development,” he said, warning about a possible “paralyzing effect” that could discourage developers to innovate in the United States.
This fear is reinforced by similar cases, such as a developer who, according to Storm, avoided launching a project for fear of legal reprisals inspired by his situation.
Storm, who was arrested in August 2023, also faces financial difficulties. At the moment collects funds For your legal defensewhich requires significant resources due to the technical complexity of the case. Despite the adversities, it remains optimistic, trusting in the US judicial system and in the protection that the first amendment gives to the code as a form of expression. “I do not regret what I did,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to the freedom to develop software.
The outcome of Storm’s trial will not only determine its future, but could sit a positive or negative legal precedent for the development of decentralized technologies in the United States. Meanwhile, the developer hopes that his case will serve to make visible the need for clear regulations that protect open source software developers compared to undue uses by third parties.
