The Ethereum Foundation, a key organization supporting the Ethereum ecosystem, announced on Friday a significant financial contribution to the legal defense of Roman Storm, co-founder of the sanctioned cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash. With Storm’s trial set for July 14 in New York, the Foundation has donated $500,000 and pledged to match an additional $750,000 in community donations.
In a statement posted on X, the Foundation emphasized its stance, declaring, “Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.” This comes as Storm seeks to raise $2 million for his defense, appealing for broad support from the crypto community.
Roman Storm was charged in 2023 with conspiracy to commit money laundering and sanctions violations related to his involvement in operating Tornado Cash. While he has attempted to dismiss the charges, citing First Amendment violations, his trial date was subsequently postponed to the upcoming July 14.
Tornado Cash itself faced sanctions from the Department of Justice’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2022, though these sanctions were reportedly lifted in March of this year.
Under the Trump administration, U.S. prosecutors indicated in May that they would drop one part of the charges against Storm, specifically an allegation of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. However, they confirmed plans to proceed with charges related to money laundering, some linked to unlicensed money transmitting, and a charge concerning conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Earlier on Friday, Storm made a public appeal for support, stating in an X post, “If I lose, DeFi dies with me. The dream of financial freedom, the code I believed in — it all fades into darkness.”
