Representatives of leading U.S. cryptocurrency advocacy bodies have filed amicus briefs asking the judge to dismiss charges against Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash. The Blockchain Association, Coin Center, and DeFi Education Fund claim that Tornado Cash had no control over what it transmitted and stored on its platform.
The advocacy groups separately claimed that the three felony counts Roman faces should be dismissed, citing First Amendment issues regarding the Tornado Cash co-founder allegedly violating sanctions and the U.S. government “misunderstand[ing] the basic relationship between smart contract protocols and their developers” regarding allegations of money laundering.
In court filings on April 5th, advocacy groups argued against the felony charges against Storm, citing potential negative impacts on the digital asset market and fintech sector if the government’s allegations are proven true.
The U.S. Justice Department announced charges against Storm and co-developer Roman Semenov in August 2023. Storm pleaded not guilty to all three charges and is free on a $2 million bond, largely restricted from traveling. Semenov’s whereabouts were unknown at the time of publication, but Storm is set to go to trial in September.
Alexey Pertsev, the Tornado Cash developer, was arrested by the Dutch police in August 2022 and spent nine months in jail before his release. However, Dutch authorities suspect Chaepil, the mixer owner, of involvement with hacker groups linked to North Korea and using the mixer for money laundering.
Also Read: Tornado Cash Creator’s Defense Challenges Charges
