ETH core developers testify in defense of the Rome storm as government rests

Prosecutors at the criminal trial of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm took their case a break Thursday, opening the door for defense attorneys to call Ethereum’s core developer the first witness.

Preston Van Loon, Ethereum’s core developer, testified in the Storm’s defense case, according to a report by the Intern City Press on Thursday from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The developer described Tornado Cash as “Ethereum’s privacy tool,” saying that in 2019 or 2020, he used the mixing service four times with 43 Ether (ETH) combined.

“If (hackers) know the scope of my assets, I can be a target,” said Van Rune, a report from the court.

Van Loon’s cross-examination by the prosecutor’s prosecutor was largely limited to personal connections with Storm and questions about whether he used “a regular cryptographic platform like Coinbase.” Storm’s lawyer reportedly said Wednesday that he was planning to testify “two or three doctors” and possibly call someone from the chain analysis.

Related: Things you need to know about the Roman Storm Tornado Cash Trial

Van Loon’s testimony marked the ninth day of Storm’s criminal trial. There he faces alleged money laundering charges, a conspiracy to run unlicensed remittances, and conspiracy to violate US sanctions related to his role in tornado cash.

The Ethereum Core developer was already a party to a lawsuit against the US Treasury regarding sanctions against the Crypto Mixing Service’s smart contract address.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwzodbdbiuw

The storm is still facing prison time

With the defense expected to close the case within two weeks, Storm’s lawyers filed another filing Thursday, demanding that the judge change the ju judge’s directions to clarify information about Tornado Cash and North Korean hacker Lazarus Group.

The storm could potentially face a year in prison if convicted. Judge Catherine Faila reportedly said Monday that she was keeping a close eye on other crypto-related lawsuits, including the case of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years after being convicted of seven felony charges.

Alexey Pertsev, one of the three Tornado Cash co-founder and developers, was sentenced to more than five years in 2024. He committed the crime of money laundering in the Netherlands.

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