The fight over whether writing privacy-focused code is a crime is heating up on both sides of the Atlantic, and the crypto community is opening its wallet to defend two key Tornado Cash engineers.
Roman Storm’s U.S. defense war chest swells
Fresh backing: The Ethereum Foundation pledged $500,000 on June 12 toward Roman Storm’s legal bills and promised to match as much as $750,000 in additional public donations.
Total raised: Combined with a $1.25 million grant from Paradigm earlier this year, Storm now has roughly $3 million to fight U.S. money-laundering charges.
What’s at stake: Prosecutors say the Washington-based developer helped launder more than $1 billion—some allegedly linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. Storm, free on a $2 million bond, heads to a jury trial on July 14, 2025.
Alexey Pertsev presses appeal in the Netherlands
While Storm prepares for an American courtroom, Dutch coder Alexey Pertsev is challenging a 64-month sentence he received in May for facilitating $1.2 billion in illicit transfers:
New amicus brief: U.S. policy groups Coin Center and the DeFi Education Fund urged a Dutch appellate court to overturn the conviction, arguing that immutable smart-contract code is a neutral tool, not a crime in itself.
Prior funding: Pertsev’s defense also attracted a $1.25 million grant from the Ethereum Foundation in February under the banner “privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.”
Status: Detained in 2022, Pertsev now awaits an appeal decision under electronic monitoring.
READ MORE:
KuCoin Plants Its Flag in Bangkok With a Licensed Thai Exchange
A shifting regulatory backdrop
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control delisted Tornado Cash’s smart-contract addresses in March after a U.S. appeals court found that self-executing code isn’t “property” that can be sanctioned. That ruling eased token restrictions but left the criminal cases untouched, turning Storm and Pertsev into focal points for the broader debate over privacy tools, developer liability, and open-source innovation.
Why it matters
If prosecutors prevail, critics say it could set a precedent that chills open-source development in decentralized finance. Conversely, a win for Storm or Pertsev could reinforce the argument that publishing code—even code used by bad actors—remains protected speech.
With millions of dollars now riding on their defenses and trial dates approaching, the legal outcomes for Tornado Cash’s developers promise to shape how courts treat privacy tech for years to come.
Alexander Stefanov
With over 8 years of experience in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry, Alexander is a seasoned content creator and market analyst dedicated to making digital assets more accessible and understandable. He specializes in breaking down complex crypto trends, analyzing market movements, and producing insightful content aimed at educating both newcomers and seasoned investors. Alexander has built a reputation for delivering timely and accurate analysis, while keeping a close eye on regulatory developments, emerging technologies, and macroeconomic trends that shape the future of digital finance. His work is rooted in a passion for innovation and a firm belief that widespread education is key to accelerating global crypto adoption.
