Overview
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain, has reiterated his public support for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, who could face a retrial on two felony charges sometime this year.
Buterin Highlights Privacy Concerns and Personal Use of Tornado Cash
In a Friday post on X, Buterin cautioned followers about the importance of privacy from both the public and governments. He added that he had used Tornado Cash to conduct transactions aligned with that principle. Buterin has backed Storm since before the developer’s criminal trial, arguing that creating software that others can use for privacy should not be treated as a crime.
“I have personally used Roman's software to make transactions — to buy software for my own use, without my name ending up in corporate databases, to support charities that protect valuable human rights, and other goals,” said Buterin. “Roman has been a principled and steadfast developer of these principles. Unlike some others, who use these causes as an excuse to make profit and write software that has flashy advertising but is broken under the hood [...]”
Criminal Case Status: Indictment, Verdict, and Potential Retrial
Storm was indicted in August 2023 on allegations of running an unlicensed money transmitter business, engaging in a conspiracy to commit money laundering, and participating in a conspiracy to violate sanctions. He was found guilty of the first charge in August, while the jury deadlocked on the other two.
As of Friday, it remained unclear whether US prosecutors would retry Storm on the two felony charges, or when he would be sentenced for running an unlicensed money transmitter business. Storm has repeatedly maintained that he is innocent. He has also received support from many in the crypto industry, including those who have argued that “writing code is not a crime.“
Questions of Presidential Involvement
In November, after the verdict in Storm’s criminal trial, a coalition of crypto companies and advocacy groups called on US President Donald Trump to intervene and “urge the Department of Justice to dismiss all open charges” against the Tornado Cash developer.
As of Friday, Trump had not publicly commented on Storm’s case and had not indicated any plan to issue a presidential pardon. Polymarket’s event contract tracking potential Trump pardons before 2027 listed several crypto industry figures, including former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon, but did not include Storm.
Next Court Date
Storm’s lawyers and prosecutors are scheduled to return to court for a conference to discuss the case on Jan. 22.
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