The Solana Policy Institute has donated $500,000 to help defend Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev. This donation comes in the wake of recent court decisions that found the developers guilty of crimes related to their work with Tornado Cash. It is worth noting that the institute supports clear rules for cryptocurrency and digital rights. The donations will help ensure a fair legal process and oppose the growing risk of blaming developers for how their code is used after it is released. It also highlights a concern in crypto about punishing people for building open-source software. Legal Pressure on Tornado Cash Founders Mounts Storm created Tornado Cash in 2019 alongside co-developers Alexey Pertsev and Roman Semenov. The developers were inspired by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s advocacy for enhanced crypto privacy tools. Pertsev was convicted of money laundering in the Netherlands in May 20224 and is currently appealing under electronic monitoring . On the other hand, Semenov remains at large and is listed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) wanted list. Meanwhile, Tornado Cash had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in 2022 due to its alleged use by the North Korea-linked Lazarus Group. However, those sanctions were overturned in January following a successful civil action. Regulators Consider Retrial for Tornado Cash Developer Earlier in the month, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) started considering a retrial for Roman Storm after a partial verdict left two major charges unresolved. Strom was convicted on one felony count, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. However, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions against North Korea. Notably, Storm’s trial has been closely watched by the cryptocurrency industry and digital privacy advocates. Crypto Community Rallies Support for Roman Storm In July, Roman Storm issued an urgent appeal for financial support ahead of his high-stakes trial, where he faces charges of money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions. He mentioned that he needs to raise the $500k immediately and will require an additional $1 million to sustain his legal defense . So far, Storm’s fundraising efforts have reached approximately $1.96 million, representing 57% of his $3.5 million goal. Donations have been made in Ether, with the price fluctuating based on market movements. Recall that the Ethereum Foundation announced that it would contribute $500,000 towards the co-founder’s legal defense. The foundation also promised to match community donations up to $750,000. Additionally, Bill Warren of MetaCartel DAO confirmed that the organization has allocated all remaining funds in its treasury to support Storm’s cause. Bill underlined the case’s significance within the crypto and open-source communities. The post Solana Policy Institute Donates $500K to Tornado Cash Developers’ Trial appeared first on TheCoinrise.com .
