Roman Storm, co-founder of cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, has requested immediate financial aid to cover legal fees associated with his impending trial. Charged with money laundering and violations of sanctions, Storm is hoping to raise an urgent $500,000 and a further $1 million in the coming weeks to aid his legal battle. He emphasized the significance of his case, stating that his team is fighting against government overreach that could impact everyone, and striving to establish code as free speech.
Forecasts by the legal aid organization Free Pertsev & Storm estimated in May that total legal costs for the case would reach $2 million. However, Storm has recently revealed that the cost of his defense will be higher than anticipated. This is due to the trial potentially lasting up to a month — twice the initial prediction — due to complex legal arguments and unexpected witnesses and evidence.
Storm was arrested in 2023, charged with money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitter, and violating US sanctions. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in prison. Recently, his legal team attempted to delay the trial, arguing that the prosecution disclosed a witness beyond the allocated deadline.
Judge Katherine Failla, who is presiding over the trial, confirmed that no mention will be made during the trial of withdrawn US Treasury sanctions against Tornado Cash. The crypto group, DeFi Education Fund, had previously appealed to the Trump administration to halt what they called the “lawless prosecution” of open-source software developers including Storm.
As it stands, Storm has raised approximately 57% of his target, or $1.96 million, of the total $3.5 million required, through donations made in Ether (ETH). Notably, the Ethereum Foundation has pledged to donate $500,000 and match community donations up to $750,000 towards Storm’s legal defense. MetaCartel’s Bill Warren also revealed that all remaining funds in MetaCartel DAO’s treasury would be passed on to support Storm’s cause.