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Crypto Mixer Co-Founder Roman Storm Appeals for $500K “Code as Free Speech” Legal Fund
- Roman Storm needs US$500K urgently as his trial commences, with total legal costs now at US$3.5M; his team aims to raise US$1M more, calling the case a fight for dev rights and free speech.
- Storm faces up to 45 years in prison on charges including money laundering and sanctions violations; his defense argues Tornado Cash was non-custodial, open-source code.
- He’s raised US$1.96M so far, with major support from the Ethereum Foundation.
Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, is short US$500K (AU$763K) ahead of his criminal trial which commenced Monday, and says his total legal costs have surged to a whopping US$3.5M.
In a post on X this weekend, Storm said the trial has expanded beyond initial projections and now requires urgent funding to continue. His team is attempting to raise another US$1M (AU$1.53M) in the coming weeks.
My team is working nonstop to defend code as free speech, protect software development, and push back against government overreach that threatens us all.
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Storm Could Face up to 45 Years in Prison
Storm was arrested in August 2023 and charged with laundering money, violating US sanctions laws, and operating an unlicensed money transmission business. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors say he and his colleagues ignored clear evidence of criminal abuse while continuing to support the project.
His legal team disputes that narrative, arguing that Storm merely contributed to decentralised, privacy‑focused software—code that was openly published and non‑custodial, with no direct control over user activity—and contends that Storm’s prosecution sets a dangerous precedent for developers whose tools may be used in unintended ways.
Storm’s co-developer Roman Semenov, a Russian national, faces the same charges but has not been arrested. A third Tornado Cash developer, Alexey Pertsev, was convicted of money laundering in the Netherlands in 2024 and sentenced to five years in prison. That conviction is currently under appeal.
Back in March of this year, the US government removed the sanctions against Tornado Cash, following a court ruling that deemed the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) exceeded its authority.
Storm has raised approximately US$1.96M so far, about 57% of the updated goal. Donations are being collected in Ether, and fluctuate with market prices. The Ethereum Foundation has pledged US$500K and will match up to US$750K (AU$1.14M) in additional contributions.
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Author
José Oramas
José is a journalist and translator with a keen interest in blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
