TL;DR
- Solana Policy Institute has pledged $500,000 to support Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev in their ongoing legal battles in the U.S. and Europe.
- Storm faces up to five years in prison after a partial conviction in New York, while Pertsev is appealing a five-year Dutch sentence.
- This move unites major blockchain players, as Solana and Ethereum-based groups push for stronger legal protections for open-source developers worldwide.
The Solana Policy Institute has committed half a million dollars to help cover legal expenses for Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev. Both men are embroiled in high-profile cases that have become symbolic of a larger question: can developers be held criminally responsible for writing and releasing open-source code that is later misused by others?
The donation is part of a growing wave of support from across the crypto industry. Ethereum-affiliated groups and grassroots fundraising campaigns had already begun raising money, but Solana’s contribution underscores a wider recognition that the future of open-source development is at stake. Many see this as an unprecedented display of unity between rival blockchain ecosystems.
Roman Storm’s Legal Struggle In The United States
Roman Storm was convicted earlier this year of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business in connection with Tornado Cash. Although two additional charges related to sanctions violations and money laundering conspiracy ended in a hung jury, the Department of Justice may still seek a retrial. If unsuccessful in his defense, Storm could face up to five years in federal prison.
His defense fund is estimated at $3.5 million, but donations so far have only reached about half that amount. The Solana Policy Institute’s pledge is meant to bridge the gap and ensure his legal team remains fully engaged. Critics of the case argue that punishing Storm for writing code, rather than directly handling user funds, sends a chilling message to the broader developer community.
Alexey Pertsev’s Appeal In The Netherlands
Meanwhile, Dutch developer Alexey Pertsev continues his appeal against a five-year sentence imposed in 2022. Prosecutors linked Tornado Cash to money laundering by North Korea’s Lazarus Group, but no evidence proved Pertsev’s intent to facilitate illicit activity. His case gained renewed relevance after a U.S. civil court overturned Treasury’s 2022 sanctions on Tornado Cash in early 2025, yet the Dutch ruling remains in effect.
Pertsev is under strict monitoring while awaiting his appeal, which could reshape the legal interpretation of developer liability in Europe. Observers warn that if his conviction stands, it may deter innovation by making coders directly responsible for how decentralized software is used by third parties.
