Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm’s trial could set a precedent for how much responsibility developers bear for decentralized tools used illegally.
Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm is set to stand trial on Monday in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) on federal charges that could put him behind bars for more than 40 years.
Prosecutors allege he conspired to launder money, violated US sanctions and operated an unlicensed money-transmitting business stemming from his role in creating Tornado Cash, an open-source protocol that allows users to conceal blockchain transactions — whether for privacy or to obscure illicit activity.
At the heart of Storm’s defense is the argument that Tornado Cash is not a business but a decentralized and immutable protocol that he no longer controlled. Also, code is considered protected speech under the First Amendment in the US.
