Developer Roman Storm Found Guilty in Crypto Cash Case

Roman Storm, developer of Tornado Cash, has been found guilty of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Despite the jury not reaching a consensus on some charges, Storm was convicted on one count while the other two resulted in non-unanimous decisions. He was accused of assisting cybercriminals in laundering over $1 billion through the crypto mixer Tornado Cash, including the Lazarus Group linked to North Korea.

Prosecutors emphasized Storm's awareness of the illicit use of the service and personal profits from its operation. The conviction has sparked concerns among the crypto privacy and development communities regarding the legal interpretation of "money transmission", with Coin Center arguing that developers without control of user funds are not transmitters. A sentencing date has yet to be set, and it's unclear if the authorities will retry Storm on the remaining charges.