Roman Storm of Tornado Cash is declared guilty for transmission of money without license

By Hannah Pérez

A jury in Manhattan declared Cash Tornado developer, Roman Storm, guilty of the charge of operating a money transmission business without a license. A sentence is still pending.

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Jury in New York declares Storm guilty of a position for transmission of money without a license.
The court failed to agree on two other positions related to the Cash Tornado case.
The developer waits for a sentence on bail.

Roman Storm, one of the main developers of cryptocurrency mixer Tornado cashhas been convicted of a position in relation to the case of Tornado cash in United States courts.

A jury in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday that Storm is guilty of operating a money transmission business without due license, the media reported first Inner City Press and COINDESK.

However, beyond this opinion, The jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on the other positions Against Storm, conspiracy to commit money laundering and violation of international sanctions, resulting in a partial verdict after four days of deliberation in a trial that has spread for several weeks.

The case against Tornado Cash

Storm, 34, was arrested in the state of Washington and accused in 2023 by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York for conspiracy to wash money, conspiracy to operate a business of transmission of money without license and conspiracy to violate the Law of International Emergency Emergency Powers (IEEPA).

The arrest and charges occurred after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department. Tornado cash In 2022. The authorities said the protocol had provided more than one billion dollars in money laundering transactions for Lazarus Group —A North Korean hacker group sanctioned.

The US Treasury raised in early 2025 the sanctions against Tornado cash as a result of a judicial case that determined that the OFAC could not sanction the intelligent mixer contracts because they were not the “property“Of no foreign citizen.

Waiting for a sentence

Despite declaring himself not guilty, the position against Storm for transmission of money without a license could lead him to face a prison sentence, although a date for the sentence has not yet been set.

Prosecutors argued that Storm was fully aware of the illegal activities carried out through Tornado cashpointing out the uses by malicious actors such as Lazarus Groupaccording to reports Inner City Press.

For its part, the defense of Storm, led by lawyer Keri Axel, said that the developer had no intention of supporting criminal activities and that, upon discovering the use of Tornado cash from North Korean hackers, said frustration, according to COINDESK.

Storm is released on bail

After the verdict, the prosecutors requested that Storm, who is currently released on bail, outside the sentence, arguing that, being originally from Kazakhstan, he could represent a risk of escape. However, Judge Failla dismissed this motion, highlighting that Storm is an American citizen, resides in Seattle for more than a decade, has the shared custody of her five -year -old daughter and strong family ties in California.

“I don’t think it’s a risk of leakage, given the size of the bond and its incentive to stay and fight”Said Failla, according to coverage.

Storm’s case has generated broad support in the cryptocurrency community, with organizations such as Defi Education Fund and the co -founder of EthereumVitalik Buteron, expressing their support and defending the developer.

The verdict arrives just a week after the co -founders of Samourai WalletKeonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, will declare themselves guilty of similar charges in the USA. Related to their cryptocurrency mixing service.

Article written with the help of AI, edited by Hannah Pérez / Diariobitcoin

Image generated with AI tool, under free use license

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