Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm Opts Not to Testify in Money Laundering Trial

Roman Storm, the developer behind privacy tool Tornado Cash, will not take the stand in his ongoing trial in Manhattan. Facing charges that his protocol facilitated the laundering of over $1 billion in criminal proceeds, Storm informed the court of his decision to waive his right to testify. His defense team, led by Keri Axel and Brian Klein, rested their case after three days of witness testimony.

The defense argued that Tornado Cash was a legitimate privacy tool, later exploited by bad actors due to the Immutable nature of its smart contracts. Witnesses testified that Storm and his co-founders did not profit directly from the protocol, despite earning from TORN token sales. Internal messages revealed the team's frustration with hackers misusing their platform, countering prosecutors' portrayal of indifference toward victims.