- Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm thanked Vitalik Buterin for his $240,000 donation to his legal defense fund.
- Vitalik Buterin’s third donation supports Roman Storm as he faces serious charges linked to Tornado Cash.
- The legal fund for Roman Storm has raised over $785,000 as his trial moves forward in New York this December.
Vitalik Buterin has contributed 100 Ether to support the legal defense fund of Free Alexey & Roman Storm. Additionally, the fund will assist Roman Storm, the developer of Tornado Cash, who is presently dealing with legal issues in the US.
This is Vitalik’s third donation. Roman Storm voiced immense gratitude for Buterin’s continued backing, saying, ‘I can’t put into words how much it means to me. I am grateful for your enduring support.’
So far, 148 donors have contributed over 327 ETH, which equals $785,000, to the legal defense fund. Moreover, the money is set to help cover the legal expenses of defending the Tornado Cash creators.
New York Court Moves Forward with Tornado Cash Trial
In September, a New York court held a hearing and decided that the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Roman Storm would continue. Despite Storm’s appeal to drop the charges, District Judge Katherine Polk Failla from the Southern District of New York refused the request.
Judge Failla affirmed the validity of the allegations against Storm and clarified that the claim linking coding to free speech under the First Amendment does not apply in this case.
Nevertheless, supporters of Roman Storm have maintained that prosecuting him for writing code would be akin to infringing upon his free speech rights. However, Judge Failla highlighted that the functional nature of code differs from speech, dismissing the First Amendment defense. This ruling means the case will proceed to trial as scheduled.
Trial Set for December with Growing Support from the Community
Roman Storm and his co-developer Roman Semenov are accused of three charges related to their involvement in Tornado Cash. These allegations consist of involvement in money laundering conspiracy, running a money-transmitting business without a license, and breaching global sanctions.
The developers have always maintained that Tornado Cash is open-source software accessible to all and not under the control of its creators. The trial is scheduled to commence on December 2 and is expected to conclude around two weeks later. If found guilty, Storm may receive up to 45 years in jail. This has led to increasing backing from the crypto community, with numerous individuals demanding greater transparency and equity in the situation.
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