A core developer from the Ethereum Foundation has testified in support of Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, as the U.S. government formally ended its case in one of crypto’s most closely watched legal battles.
The latest update comes from a detailed report by Chain Retrieval, a blockchain intelligence firm, which has been tracking the Roman Storm trial closely. According to the report, the developer’s testimony could play a crucial role in challenging the government’s narrative.
Storm faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating sanctions laws, for allegedly enabling criminals—including North Korea’s Lazarus Group—to launder over $1 billion through Tornado Cash, a crypto privacy tool.
Chain Retrieval Highlights Key Turning Point in Trial
Chain Retrieval’s report outlines how the defense is pivoting the trial’s focus from criminal intent to open-source code and decentralization.
The Ethereum developer, who took the stand this week, testified that Tornado Cash was built as a privacy-preserving protocol, not a criminal instrument. He explained that once the smart contracts were deployed on Ethereum, they were immutable and autonomous—meaning no one, including Storm, could alter or control them.
This aligns with the defense’s argument that Roman Storm was a developer, not a facilitator of crime, and that Tornado Cash should be viewed as a neutral tool, much like email or the internet.
Prosecutors, however, argue that Storm and his co-founders continued promoting and updating the protocol even after learning it was being exploited by hackers and sanctioned entities. The prosecution cited developer logs, GitHub activity, and internal communications to suggest active involvement well beyond just writing code.
Now that the government has rested its case, the defense is expected to bring in more blockchain experts, developers, and legal scholars to support their position—that Storm’s work on Tornado Cash was lawful, and the protocol was designed to support privacy, not crime.
Crypto Community Watches as Legal Precedent Takes Shape
As Chain Retrieval notes, the Roman Storm trial could set a major legal precedent for how U.S. courts treat decentralized protocols and open-source development.
A conviction could open the door to broader liability for developers whose tools are misused by others, while an acquittal might reinforce protections for software builders working on decentralized applications.
Roman Storm has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He remains out on bond as the trial continues in federal court. A final verdict is expected in the coming weeks, with both sides preparing for a legal outcome that could reshape the future of crypto privacy and developer responsibility.