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About
Roman Storm, co-founder of the privacy protocol Tornado Cash, was arrested on August 23, 2023, and charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York with conspiracy to commit money laundering, operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, and violate sanctions. The prosecution alleges his open-source code facilitated over $1 billion in illicit transactions but has raised profound concerns about criminalizing software development, free speech, and privacy in decentralized systems. In August 2025, after a federal trial, a jury returned a partial verdict: guilty on the unlicensed money transmitting count (up to 5 years), with hung juries on the money laundering and sanctions counts (each up to 20 years). Post-trial, Storm’s team moved for acquittal in October 2025; the DOJ opposed in November, pushing for a 2026 retrial on the deadlocked charges. As of January 2026, the motion remains pending, an appeal is anticipated, and the fight for developer rights and DeFi’s future continues-strengthened by community support, including the Ethereum Foundation’s successful $750K matching campaign that drove total defense funds over $5 million. Help Roman win this fight - donate towards the legal costs, or lend your voice with a public letter of support. Your influence can turn the tide for DeFi’s future!