Odaily Planet Daily News Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm responded to the lawsuit against him on X, saying: "I was prosecuted for writing open source code that enables private crypto transactions in a completely non-custodial manner. This prosecution represents a terrible conviction of privacy.
The charges against me may convict software development itself. If successful, its impact may go far beyond the crypto industry and affect every software developer. I face up to 45 years in prison for charges including operating an unlicensed remittance business, conspiracy to launder money, and evasion of sanctions." Storm's trial is scheduled for April 14, 2025.
Storm's legal counsel Keri Axel said: "This prosecution may criminalize software development itself." Storm also expressed the same view, saying that the charges against him may prevent others from developing software and innovating in various industries.
Romanian lawyer Storm believes that Tornado Cash is a tool, each of which has potential uses, and like many other software platforms, developers cannot be prosecuted for someone abusing the tool.
Yesterday, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin posted on the X platform that no one is left behind. After Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht was released, Tornado Cash team members Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm will be the next.