Roman Storm is scheduled to stand trial on July 14 in New York, facing multiple charges including conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter, money laundering, and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions. These charges stem from his involvement in Tornado Cash, a decentralized crypto mixing protocol that has been accused of enabling illicit transactions by obfuscating blockchain activity.
The case has sparked controversy across the crypto industry, with many arguing that Storm is being penalized for writing open-source code—an act widely considered a protected form of speech. In fact, the Ethereum Foundation emphasized this in its statement on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
The EF is donating $500K to the legal defense of Roman Storm, and we will match up to a further $750K in donations from the community.
— Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn) June 13, 2025
Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.
“Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.”
DOJ Accused of Blocking Storm’s Defense Strategy
Storm’s legal team has raised concerns over the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s approach to the trial. According to Storm, the DOJ has rejected five out of the six expert witnesses his defense planned to call. Among them, blockchain forensic expert Matthew Edman was only partially accepted—with limitations on the scope of his testimony.
Storm believes these restrictions are a strategic move to suppress a robust defense and potentially set a chilling precedent for decentralized finance (DeFi). In a post on X, he warned that the DOJ aims to “shut down DeFi entirely.”
😔💔 I’m Roman Storm. I poured my soul into Tornado Cash—software that’s non-custodial, trustless, permissionless, immutable, unstoppable. In 31 days, I face trial. The DOJ wants to bury DeFi, saying I should’ve controlled it, added KYC, never built it. SDNY is trying to crush…
— Roman Storm 🇺🇸 🌪️ (@rstormsf) June 13, 2025
Crypto Industry Rallies Behind Tornado Cash Founder
The Ethereum Foundation’s backing follows an earlier $1.25 million donation by prominent crypto venture capital firm Paradigm, reinforcing growing industry consensus that the case against Storm is both legally questionable and politically motivated. Additionally, last December, a judge ruled that the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC had exceeded its authority by sanctioning Tornado Cash smart contracts—a decision that provided some optimism for the defense.
Also Read: Ethereum Rebounds to $2,500 as Risk-Reward Metrics Improve
As regulatory scrutiny intensifies in the U.S., the outcome of Storm’s trial could have wide-ranging implications for developers in the blockchain space. The Ethereum Foundation’s donation and fundraising match aim not only to assist Storm’s defense but also to assert the broader principle that privacy tools and open-source code should not be criminalized.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The author’s views are personal and may not reflect the views of CoinBrief.io. Before making any investment decisions, you should always conduct your own research. Coin Brief is not responsible for any financial losses.
