U.S. Department of Justice Requests Rehearing for Tornado Cash Developer, Roman Storm Faces New Legal Battle

According to a post by Roman Storm, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officially requested a rehearing for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm today, aiming to break the deadlock on key charges of money laundering and sanctions violations.

During a four-week hearing in the Southern District of New York, the jury found Storm guilty of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, but failed to reach a consensus on more serious charges of money laundering and sanctions violations, leading to a stalemate in the case.

Currently, prosecutors have asked the judge to schedule a rehearing in October this year. If convicted, the 36-year-old Storm could face up to 40 years in federal prison.

In response to the DOJ’s insistence on a rehearing, Storm expressed strong protest on social media, claiming that the government’s approach essentially amounts to “trying to criminalize coding again,” and pointed out that this is in clear contradiction with the current policy environment.

Storm specifically noted that President Trump had already declared that the “cryptocurrency war is over,” and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the DOJ should not act as a digital asset regulator, nor should it target developers of cryptocurrency mixers due to users’ autonomous actions.

He also cited the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision to lift sanctions on Tornado Cash, as well as congressional reports acknowledging that legitimate users have the right to use mixers to protect their privacy, as evidence.

Meanwhile, the crypto community has been embroiled in ongoing controversy over the Tornado Cash case. Supporters believe that open-source programmers should not be held responsible for how others use their technology, while regulators insist that the service is intentionally facilitating large-scale money laundering.

Finally, facing the upcoming rehearing and the potential for a lengthy prison sentence, Storm called on the community for financial support and vowed to continue fighting for developers’ rights and financial privacy.

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