OFAC lifted sanctions on tornado cash, but the charges against the storm were not dropped.
The legal defense team representing the Storm will raise $2 million to facilitate the process through court proceedings.
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has donated $500,000 to the legal defense of Roman Storm, co-founder of US-indicted Tornado Cash. EF argued that Storm should not be criminalised to advocate privacy by simply writing computer code.
In particular, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) lifted sanctions on tornado cash on March 21, 2025, following a legal reversal by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the charges against the Arashi have not been dropped, and the trial is currently scheduled for July 14, 2025.
As previously reported by Coinpedia, Storm is fighting three major accusations, including a conspiracy to commit money laundering, operation of unlicensed money transfer businesses, and violations of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA).
Ethereum Foundation fights for Defi Freedom
The lawsuit against Storm is estimated to cost $2 million in legal costs until trial next month, attracting a lot of attention on the Decentralized Financial (DEFI) space. According to EF, an attack on the Storm to develop tornado cash is a direct attack on basic human rights regarding privacy.
With Defi Ecosystem trying to override the traditional financial system, storm testing is important for the future growth prospects of the cryptocurrency market. Furthermore, countries are pushing to regulate cryptocurrency markets to maintain the traditional power that has been exposed by the enormous adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader Altcoin market.
“DOJ wants to fill in defi. I should have added KYC and never built it. SDNY is trying to crush me and block all the expert witnesses. If I lose, Defi dies with me.
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