Tornado Cash Founder Rallies Community Support in doj tries to “smash” him

Roman Storm, founder of Tornado Cash, has called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to claim that the agency is doing “crushing” him. Storm allegedly blocked the DOJ from testifying ahead of his trial on July 14th, about a month from today.

The legal battle between Tornado Cash and the US government has been underway for some time. In 2023, the US government approved a platform that was allegedly supported North Korean hacker group Lazarus. Storm has since fought these allegations, which have led to an imminent trial and witness dispute.

According to Storm, he has called six expert witnesses to shed light on the case, and the DOJ has completely rejected five of them. One of his witnesses, Matthew Edman, was said to have relevant experience and information on blockchain technology, but the DOJ chose to reject him.

The founder of Tornado Cash says DOJ wants to fill Defi

According to one of his posts on blog platform X, the founder of Tornado Cash seeks industry help and DOJ wants to fill in decentralized finances.

“DOJ never built it, saying I should have controlled it and saying I should have added KYC,” Storm wrote. “SDNY is trying to crush me and block all the expert witnesses.” He also added that if he loses, it might indicate defi’s death. “The dream of financial freedom, the code I believed in – it all disappears into the darkness. This is not just my purpose. It’s ours.”

😔💔I’m a Roman storm. I poured my soul into tornado cash. This is non-obligatory, unreliable, unauthorized, immutable, unstoppable software. In 31 days, I will face trial. DOJ wants to fill in Defi by saying I should have controlled it, adding KYC and never building it. sdny is about to crush it…

– Roman Storm

Not only is it allegedly supported North Korean groups, Tornado Cash was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, run an unauthorized money transmitter business, and avoid US sanctions.

Tornado Cash is a popular service that allows users to obfuscate the source of transactions, making it difficult to track blockchains. Such platforms are seen as beacons of transparency for short for the crypto sector, but are also seen as tools for criminal organizations and state enemies.

The trial shows that despite a move from US President Donald Trump earlier this year, they want to appeal to the crypto industry. The president ordered the DOJ to disband the crypto-enforcement squad and instruct the prosecutors not to pursue claims for mixed services for end-user actions.

Many saw it as a good step in the right direction for the pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, but it never became materialized because of the storm. Instead, the DOJ said it is moving forward in a lawsuit against Tornado Cash and its founder.

Ethereum Foundation will donate to Storm’s defense

Since an update from DOJ, Storm and other Defi advocates have argued that developers cannot be held responsible for anything else using their software.

Last year, another Tornado Cash developer, Alexey Pertsev, was found guilty by a Dutch court that found the website to be aimed at criminals. He was convicted in May 2024 and sentenced to five years in prison. Roma Semenov, another developer named in the same indictment as Storm, is still a massive one. The report suggests that Semenov may be hidden in Russia.

However, the market appears to support Storm and Tornado cash. The Ethereum Foundation has pledged to donate $500,000 to the Storm’s defense. The foundation also said it is ready to match donations of up to $750,000 in community contributions. “Privacy is normal and writing code is not a crime,” the foundation said.

Additionally, counsel for the Coincenter, Defi Education Fund, and Blockchain Association all file Amicus briefs in the case of Storm and provide information on the outcome of a conviction. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Paradigm founder Matt Huang also made substantial donations to help Storm’s cause.