Jury Begins Deliberations in Roman Storm’s Money Laundering Trial
A Manhattan jury is set to deliberate in the trial of Roman Storm, a developer of Tornado Cash, accused of facilitating the laundering of over $1 billion for cyber criminals.
- Prosecutors allege that Storm and his co-founders knowingly helped criminals, including North Korean hackers, by ignoring victim complaints and failing to modify their platform to prevent misuse.
- They claimed that while Tornado Cash pools are immutable, the developers could have implemented changes to deter hackers, suggesting their actions prioritized financial gain over security.
- The defense argued that the prosecution selectively presented evidence to portray Storm negatively. They highlighted his disclosures to banks about Tornado Cash as evidence of transparency and legality.
- Defense attorneys asserted that Tornado Cash was created for legitimate privacy needs within the Ethereum community and that implementing tracking measures would undermine its purpose.
- Storm faces charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, which could lead to a maximum sentence of 45 years if convicted.
- Judge Katherine Polk Failla is currently instructing the jury before they begin deliberations.