Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm Begins Defense After Prosecution Rests Case

The U.S. government has officially rested its case against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, concluding eight days of witness testimony in a high-profile cryptocurrency trial. Storm faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, sanctions evasion, and violating international sanctions — offenses that could lead to up to 45 years in prison if convicted.

The prosecution alleges that Storm, along with co-founders Roman Semenov and Alexey Pertsev, controlled Tornado Cash and profited from TORN token sales while knowingly allowing criminals, including North Korean hackers, to launder illicit funds through the protocol. They argue that the team could have made changes to deter illegal activity but chose not to.

Storm’s defense counters that Tornado Cash was primarily a legitimate privacy tool for Ethereum users, comparable to encrypted messaging apps or VPNs. They maintain Storm neither collaborated with criminals nor profited from their activities. Ethereum core developer Preston Van Loon, the defense’s first witness, testified that he personally used Tornado Cash for “operational security and personal safety” to protect against hackers.

The trial gained further attention after a key prosecution witness incorrectly traced stolen funds to Tornado Cash. Blockchain researchers, including ZachXBT, later disputed this evidence, prompting the defense to seek a mistrial — a request the judge denied. An IRS agent later testified using a “last in, first out” tracing method but admitted it does not prove ownership of funds or wallet attribution.

The defense will continue presenting its case with expert witnesses, including Columbia Business School professor Omid Malekan, to argue Tornado Cash’s legitimate use and challenge the government’s narrative in one of the most significant crypto privacy trials to date.