Roman Storm warning: “If I lose, DeFi will die with me”

Roman Storm, co-founder of #TornadoCash – a famous coin mixing platform – has made a shocking statement: “If I lose, DeFi will die with me.” He is set to go to trial next month due to allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2023, including: money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transfer service, and evading U.S. sanctions.

Storm strongly rebuts: The DOJ is demanding that he control Tornado Cash, integrate KYC, and argues that programmers should be held responsible for user actions – a stance that the DeFi community vehemently opposes. Tornado Cash has been criticized for being exploited by hackers and hostile nations like North Korea, but it is also supported by the community for protecting privacy.

Although President Trump has made “easing” moves towards crypto, even disbanding the anti-crypto unit in #DOJ and previously pardoning Ross Ulbricht (Silk Road), Storm's case continues, with only one charge being slightly reduced.

The Ethereum Foundation has donated $500,000 and committed to contribute an additional $750,000 from the community to support Storm's legal defense, asserting: “Writing code is not a crime.”

If Storm is convicted, this could be a serious blow to the future of DeFi and privacy in the cryptocurrency world.

The crypto market is promising but full of risks. Please consider carefully before investing.