TL;DR
- The Ethereum Foundation is stepping up with a $500,000 donation match to support Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm’s legal battle.
- Storm was recently convicted in New York on one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitter and is preparing to appeal.
- Backers emphasize that building privacy-focused, open-source tools should not be criminalized, warning that the case could influence how governments treat developers of decentralized protocols in the future.
The Ethereum Foundation has confirmed a pledge to match up to $500,000 in contributions backing Roman Storm’s legal defense. This comes after a New York jury found the Tornado Cash co-founder guilty of operating an unlicensed money transmission business, although verdicts remain undecided on related money laundering and sanctions allegations.
Storm’s defense team is gearing up for an appeal, with attorney Brian Klein affirming they are preparing all necessary motions. The match pledge reflects Ethereum’s strong belief that writing privacy-preserving code is a legitimate, protected activity.
Growing Support From The Crypto Industry
Important voices in the crypto sector have weighed in. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin reshared the Foundation’s post calling for support. The official Ethereum account stated that privacy is fundamental and writing code should never be treated as a crime. Supporters argue criminal charges against protocol developers risk echoing beyond Roman Storm, potentially chilling innovation across the blockchain space.
Developers and advocacy groups are warning of grave implications if the conviction stands. Legal observers note that this could redefine liability for engineers who contribute open-source, noncustodial tools—which they say are vital infrastructure for cryptocurrency ecosystems.
Potential Precedent For Open-Source Developers
While Storm was convicted on one federal count, two additional charges, money laundering and sanctions violations remain unresolved. His legal team insists he is not responsible for how others use Tornado Cash, and that writing code should not equate to money transmission business operations.
Storm now faces a potential sentence of up to five years if his appeal fails. Free Pertsev & Storm, the legal aid group representing him, stressed the outcome “will set major precedent for developers worldwide.” The Foundation’s matching pledge aims to help ensure Storm has access to adequate defense resources throughout the appeals process, giving him a fighting chance to overturn the verdict.
As contributions begin to roll in, the broader goal is to demonstrate solidarity with software creators who uphold privacy and decentralization. Advocates note that ensuring legal support for such developers today may safeguard the future of open, peer-to-peer financial innovation and encourage ongoing advancement in blockchain and related privacy technologies worldwide for many years.
