Court considers “inadmissible” sanctions to Tornado Cash in court against Roman Storm

The magistrate of the Southern District of New York considers inadmissible to include these sanctions that have already been withdrawn, although it will allow references to North Korea and Lazarus Group for the current case.

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• Soon the trial begins against Roman Storm, which could mark a legal precedent for software development.
  
• Judge Failla excluded the sanctions against Tornado cash for having been revoked.
• However, consider the mixer links with Lazarus Group.
  
• Ecosystem figures Ethereum They have financially supported the defense of Storm.

The criminal trial against Roman Storm, co -founder of the protocol Tornado Cash, He is about to start in the United States.

In a recent hearing, the judge of the Southern District Court of New York, Katherine Failla Cointelegraph.

However, the judge will allow references to North Korea and the hacker organization Lazarus Group, allegedly linked to the illicit use of Tornado Cash, which will be part of the narrative that prosecutors will present to the jury.

Tornado cash and the sanctions of 2022

Tornado cash It is a privacy protocol that operates on Ethereum, which allows to mix funds to hide its origin. In August 2022, the US Treasury Department, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)included protocol addresses in its sanctions list, this under the premise of its use for money laundering by malicious actors, including Lazarus Group.

However, in March 2024, as a result of a civil lawsuit filed by users of the protocol, a federal judge ordered to reverse those sanctions. The OFAC He complied with the order and partially withdrew the restrictions.

In this context, Judge Failla argued: “The sanctions were removed. So [Storm] I would be aware of something that was not finally declared guilty. ”

Charges against Roman Storm

Storm was formally accused in August 2023 for three crimes: money laundering, conspiracy to operate a money transmission company without a license, and conspiracy to violate US sanctions.

At the prior hearing, Judge Failla also evaluated what witnesses will be admitted by both parties. Their decisions at this preliminary stage will mark the course of the judicial process.

The criminal case against Roman Storm has generated a wave of solidarity among prominent members of the sector Blockchain. Influential figures have expressed that “Writing code is not a crime”in defense of the developer and against the precedent that his conviction could sit for the development of decentralized technologies.

Among those who have donated funds for their legal defense are Vitalik Butein, co -founder of Ethereum; the Ethereum Foundation; and Matt Huang, founder of the investment firm Paradigm.

This mobilization reflects a growing concern for the legal treatment that open software developers receive when their creations are used by third parties for illicit purposes, without their knowledge or direct participation.

Article written by a content editor. Edited by Angel Di Matteo / Diariobitcoin

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