Tornado Cash Co-Founder Roman Storm Found Guilty

TLDR

Table of Contents

Roman Storm was convicted of running an unlicensed money transmitting service.
Tornado Cash faced accusations of laundering over $1 billion, including for North Korean hackers.
The jury could not reach a verdict on money laundering and sanctions charges.
Supporters like Vitalik Buterin backed Storm during the trial, contributing to his defense.

In a recent court decision, Roman Storm, co-founder of the cryptocurrency platform Tornado Cash, was found guilty of operating an unlicensed money transmitting service. This decision came after a jury deliberated for several days in a case involving multiple charges against Storm. He was indicted in August 2023 on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, violations of U.S. sanctions, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

Roman Storm , who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, now faces the prospect of up to five years in prison. His conviction comes as part of an ongoing scrutiny of crypto-related services, especially those involved in privacy-enhancing technologies like Tornado Cash. The court trial took place in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where Storm’s actions and role in the platform were examined closely.

Tornado Cash Co-Founder Roman Storm Found Guilty

While Roman Storm was convicted on one charge, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision regarding two other charges: conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions against North Korea. These charges related to allegations that Tornado Cash was used to launder significant amounts of money, including funds tied to North Korean hackers.

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— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) August 6, 2025

Prosecutors had argued that Roman Storm had the ability to alter the code of Tornado Cash to prevent illicit activity but chose not to do so. They also presented evidence claiming that Tornado Cash facilitated over $1 billion in illicit transactions, with a significant portion of those funds linked to North Korean hacking group Lazarus.

Despite these accusations, Roman Storm legal defense maintained that he was unaware of the platform’s misuse and that his intentions were not criminal.

Legal Support and Advocacy From the Crypto Community

Throughout the trial, Roman Storm had the backing of several prominent figures within the cryptocurrency and decentralized finance communities. Notably, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly supported Storm, emphasizing that the creation of Tornado Cash was aligned with broader principles of digital privacy and decentralized finance.

Buterin stated, “You created Tornado in significant part because of my suggestion that it is something worth building,” emphasizing his continued support despite the charges.

Additionally, the DeFi Education Fund and other advocates rallied behind Storm, arguing that developers of decentralized platforms like Tornado Cash should not be held liable for the actions of users. They claimed that such platforms operate without central control, which means developers do not exert control over how the platform is used.

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