Tornado Cash Dev Roman Storm Faces the Music: High-Stakes Trial Kicks Off in NYC
Privacy or crime? The crypto world holds its breath as Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm’s trial begins in New York today—a case that could redefine the boundaries of decentralized finance.
Subheader: The Legal Tornado
Storm’s prosecution hinges on whether writing code equals facilitating money laundering. Regulators claim Tornado Cash became a playground for dirty crypto—defenders scream overreach. The DOJ’s argument? ‘Ignorance isn’t bliss when your tech processes $7 billion in transactions.’
Subheader: Code vs. Conscience
Developers worldwide watch nervously. A guilty verdict sets a precedent: build privacy tools, risk becoming an accessory. ‘Next they’ll arrest the inventor of TCP/IP for piracy,’ scoffed one ETH maxi on X.
Closing Thought: Meanwhile, Wall Street banks—who’ve paid $243 billion in fines since 2008—quietly update their AML PowerPoints with fresh hypocrisy.
Legal Clash Over Digital Evidence
The trial took a tense turn as digital messages were presented by the prosecution to support their case. Among them, a message on Telegram, apparently referring to the Ronin hack, became central. The defence team say that his client did not write the communication; rather, he was just forwarding it.
In addition, they also attempted to prevent evidence obtained from Apple, X, and Dragonfly from being used, arguing that it was private. However, the prosecutors maintained that these were legitimate business records. Judge Katherine Polk Failla seemed inclined to allow the evidence to be admitted.
Privacy Advocates Rally in Support
Storm has rallied a bit of backing from the privacy and cryptocurrency communities, despite the ongoing accusations. To bolster his legal defense, supporters have managed to raise nearly $1.9 million, with the Ethereum Foundation stepping in to contribute a generous $500,000.
Storm followers are insistent that the Maker of an open-source code had not in any way influenced its use. From their standpoint, this case is standing against privacy in general, and software freedom in particular.
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