Roman Storm Pushes for Acquittal in Crypto Privacy Case
Storm argues prosecutors failed to prove intent as crypto industry warns of dangerous precedent
Roman Storm, co-founder of the crypto privacy protocol Tornado Cash, is pushing for acquittal after his conviction on charges of unlicensed money transmission. His legal team has filed a motion in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, arguing prosecutors failed to prove he intentionally aided criminals who misused the Ethereum-based mixer.
Storm’s defense insists the government’s case relied on negligence rather than evidence of willful misconduct. The motion states prosecutors failed to demonstrate that Storm acted with the intent to assist illicit actors, arguing that the burden of proof for “willfulness” was not met. If accepted, the motion could nullify his conviction.
Tornado Cash, launched in 2019 by Storm and Roman Semenov, is a decentralized protocol that allows users to obscure Ethereum transactions using zero-knowledge proofs. While widely used by ordinary crypto holders seeking privacy, it has also faced accusations of enabling money laundering, with the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control alleging that over $7 billion passed through the protocol, including funds tied to North Korean hackers.
Storm was arrested in August 2023, while Semenov was sanctioned by OFAC. The Department of Justice has opposed a retrial, but the case has triggered widespread criticism from the crypto industry. Advocacy groups like the Blockchain Association argue Storm’s conviction sets a dangerous precedent, warning that developers of open-source, non-custodial software could be unfairly targeted despite lacking control over user funds.
The debate highlights a growing clash between regulators and crypto’s privacy advocates. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has also warned that government surveillance proposals, such as the EU’s controversial “Chat Control” law, undermine digital security by creating exploitable backdoors.
Storm’s case has become a flashpoint for the industry, testing how far authorities can go in holding developers accountable for the actions of users.
