PANews July 22 reported that, according to The Block, the lawyer for Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm is considering filing for a mistrial after expressing concerns about the government's evidence. The witness summoned by the prosecution, Hanfeng Ling, claimed that after being a victim of a pig-butchering scam in 2021, some of the funds were laundered through Tornado Cash, but the defense attorney stated that their investigation could not trace the relevant funds flowing to the mixer. Ethereum security expert Taylor Monahan also posted on X over the weekend, stating that scammers do not use Tornado Cash, and elaborated on the reasons why the funds did not flow through that mixer, bluntly stating that the tracing process was chaotic and the funds were not involved with Tornado Cash at all.
Storm's trial opened last week in a federal court in Manhattan. In 2023, Storm was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating sanctions regulations for operating the Tornado Cash company. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 45 years in prison, and the defendant has pleaded not guilty.
