- The trial of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm began Tuesday in New York.
- Prosecutors allege Storm operated a platform that enabled money laundering and illegal transactions.
- Storm faces charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions, with potential penalties exceeding 40 years in prison.
- Opening statements focused on whether Storm could control Tornado Cash and its use by criminals.
- The trial is expected to last about three weeks with testimony from scam victims and possibly cybercriminals.
The trial for Roman Storm, a developer of the crypto privacy tool Tornado Cash, began in earnest on Tuesday at a federal court in New York. Prosecutors accuse Storm of operating a service that allowed illegally obtained cryptocurrency to be mixed and concealed, making it difficult to trace.
According to court documents, the platform has seen more than $550 million deposited, with allegations that significant funds linked to crimes have moved through the service. Prosecutors charged Storm with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions. If convicted, Storm could face over 40 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mosley told jurors, “The defendant was running and profited from a giant washing machine for dirty money — and he knew it.” Mosley stated that people—including North Korean Hackers—used Tornado Cash to hide stolen funds. The service shields transactions on Ethereum, a type of blockchain where all transactions are typically public, making it attractive to those seeking privacy or to conceal illicit activity.
Defense attorney Keri Axel countered that most of Tornado Cash’s users wanted legitimate privacy, comparing its function to protecting bank account information. She argued, “Anyone who is sophisticated enough to hack these protocols is sophisticated enough to find these pools on their own.” Axel emphasized that after 2020, Storm and his partners relinquished control of the protocol by destroying relevant keys, making the tool largely immutable.
The first witness was a Georgian resident who lost about $200,000 to a scammer and said her funds eventually moved through Tornado Cash. Prosecutors said more witnesses who lost funds to hacks and scams tied to the protocol would testify during the trial. Storm’s attorneys objected to this approach, saying testimony from victims and alleged criminals risked confusing the jury, given Storm was not personally involved with any scams.
The jury consists of 12 individuals, most of them younger than 50 years old and with college degrees. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla estimated the trial would last about three weeks.
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