- Roman Storm did not testify in his Manhattan trial over allegations he enabled US$1B in crypto laundering.
- His defence argued Tornado Cash was a decentralised privacy tool misused by hackers, and he did not control or profit from the activity.
- Prosecutors highlighted a 2019 meme T-shirt as evidence of intent, while the defence called it satire in poor taste.
Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, has opted not to testify in his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan, where he faces allegations of enabling more than US$1 billion (AU$1.54 billion) in cryptocurrency laundering through the platform. His legal team, led by Keri Axel and Brian Klein, concluded their case on Tuesday after over three days of witness testimony.
Storm’s defence contended that he developed a privacy-focused protocol that was exploited by malicious actors, arguing the system’s decentralised structure left him powerless to intervene. Witnesses testified that Storm and his co-founders did not profit directly from Tornado Cash’s usage, instead earning from TORN token sales.
Evidence also indicated their concern over illicit activity, including group chats where Storm and fellow founder Roman Semenov discussed blocking hacker-linked wallets after the 2022 Ronin Bridge hack. In one message, Storm said, “we urgently need to tell everyone we do not want these individuals to the front”. He also told venture investor Haseeb Qureshi he was glad “those fuckers are detected” following the Harmony Horizon Bridge exploit, where funds flowed through Tornado Cash.
Expert witness Dr Matthew Green supported the utility of privacy protocols like Tornado Cash, calling the lack of user privacy in cryptocurrencies a “bug” and a growing security concern.
Related: Defence Seeks Mistrial in Roman Storm Trial Over Questionable Tornado Cash Evidence
Prosecutors Point to Controversial Crypto Meme
A separate point of contention during the trial was a T-shirt Storm wore at a 2019 ETHBoston event, which bore the phrase “I keep my Ether clean with Tornado.cash” and a cartoon washing machine. Prosecutors said this showed Storm knew the platform was laundering funds, calling it a “giant washing machine for dirty money”. Storm’s lawyers countered that the shirt was a misguided meme, not proof of intent.
Storm faces charges including conspiracy to launder money, operate an unlicensed money transmitter, and violate US sanctions.
Related: GMX Exploit Nets Hacker $5 Million “Bounty” After $40 Million Heist
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