Oh, dear reader, hold onto your hats and wallets because here comes a tale of drama, money, and a little bit of crypto chaos. The Ethereum Foundation, in a heartwarming display of generosity (or perhaps just good old-fashioned PR), has announced a hefty $500,000 donation to the legal defense of one Roman Storm, the founder of Tornado Cash. Why? Well, it seems Mr. Storm is in a bit of a pickle, facing charges for allegedly running a crypto mixing service that could make even the most seasoned banker break a sweat. Apparently, he’s accused of being an unlicensed money transmitter. But I digress…
Ethereum Foundation Matches Donations: Because Why Not?
But wait, there’s more! The Ethereum Foundation, being the knight in shining armor it is, has promised to match an additional $750,000 in donations from the lovely crypto community. How kind! They took to the X platform (what a wonderful way to communicate these days!) to announce this generous offer. Here’s what they said:
“The EF is donating $500K to the legal defense of Roman Storm, and we will match up to a further $750K in donations from the community. Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.”
How very noble! I’m sure this will do wonders for their PR. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Mr. Storm’s trial is just around the corner, starting on July 14 in New York. The charges? Money laundering, conspiracy to violate US sanctions, and conspiracy to run an unlicensed money transmitter service. Gosh, sounds like quite the plot twist for a crypto fairytale!
Meanwhile, the crypto world in America is having its own makeover. The Trump administration had some crypto-friendly policies, but now the CFTC chair, Caroline Pham, has made it clear that no stone will be left unturned in addressing those pesky criminal activities. Oh, what a time to be alive!
Back in December 2024, Storm’s legal team tried to get all charges thrown out after a judge agreed that the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had overstepped by sanctioning Tornado Cash’s smart contracts. This, my friends, is where things get truly interesting. Earlier this year, Paradigm, a virtual capital firm (isn’t the name just wonderful?), threw in a cool $1.25 million to help with Storm’s defense. How generous!
Tornado Cash Founder Claims DOJ Is Playing Dirty
Now, Roman Storm isn’t just sitting idly by. No, no. He claims the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is making life difficult by rejecting five out of six expert witnesses that he proposed for his upcoming trial. Ouch! The only one who made the cut was blockchain expert Matthew Edman. But, as Storm puts it, even Edman’s testimony is being “severely restricted.” What a way to stifle the truth!
Storm also suggests that the DOJ has a bigger goal in mind—putting an end to the decentralized finance (DeFi) market. That’s quite the accusation, but then again, he’s been busy stirring the pot lately. On the X platform, Storm poured his heart out, and I quote:
😔💔 I’m Roman Storm. I poured my soul into Tornado Cash—software that’s non-custodial, trustless, permissionless, immutable, unstoppable. In 31 days, I face trial. The DOJ wants to bury DeFi, saying I should’ve controlled it, added KYC, never built it. SDNY is trying to crush…
— Roman Storm 🇺🇸 🌪️ (@rstormsf) June 13, 2025
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2025-06-14 21:11