Prosecutors Urge Judge to Reject Acquittal Motion for Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm
Prosecutors with the Southern District of New York (SDNY) have filed a post-trial motion asserting there is sufficient evidence to convict Roman Storm, a developer of Tornado Cash, on conspiracy charges related to operating the service.
Storm was previously convicted earlier this year of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter. However, his defense is seeking acquittal on all charges, including two counts that ended in a deadlock: conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions.
The prosecutors maintain that Storm co-founded Tornado Cash and actively developed features intended to assist cybercriminals, citing approximately 250 user interface changes made between February 26, 2020, and August 8, 2022. They also emphasize that 96% of users accessed the service through this interface.
In their filing, the prosecutors argue Storm had active control over Tornado Cash, contradicting claims of a passive role. They assert he managed the primary means by which the majority of users accessed the platform.
Tornado Cash was previously sanctioned by the U.S. government due to its usage by North Korean and other actors.
Storm's defense team has a limited number of days to respond to the post-trial motion. The case is currently before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla in the Southern District of New York.
