Roman Storm, the co-founder of Tornado Cash, is facing major hurdles ahead of his July 14 trial. Storm says that the U.S. Department of Justice is making it hard for him to defend himself in court. He had called six expert witnesses to support his defense, but the DOJ rejected five entirely and placed strict limits on the sixth, blockchain expert Matthew Edman.
The case began after the U.S. sanctioned Tornado Cash in 2023, accusing it of helping North Korean hackers. But Storm denies the claims. The focus is now on whether he can get a fair trial without enough expert witnesses.
DOJ Denies 5 of 6 Proposed Experts
The DOJ has pushed back hard, saying that most expert witnesses were not relevant to the core issue – his alleged role in violating international sanctions. It also criticized how the witnesses were selected and the methods they used. They argued that their testimony on topics like digital privacy, blockchain tech, tokenomics, and KYC rules was irrelevant to the case.
“There are multiple deficiencies in the proposed testimony, including that they are inappropriate subjects for expert testimony, lack a reliable methodology or basis in facts and data, or are irrelevant, unfairly prejudicial, and confusing to the jury.”
Although Tornado Cash has been removed from the US Treasury’s sanctions list, Storm is still under pressure. But the support is growing for him. Many have donated to his legal fund, which he had called for several times during the case. The Ethereum Foundation pledged $500K from its treasury and raised $750K from the wider crypto community to help fund his legal defense.
But without expert witnesses, he may face major challenges in the court.
Defense Team Requests More Time
Storm’s legal team has requested a two-day extension to respond to the DOJ’s motion to block their expert witnesses. They say it won’t delay the case, but the DOJ is still opposing the request, even though it had asked for the same extension if needed.
Storm still faces several charges for his role in running Tornado Cash. While the DOJ dropped charges related to operating an unlicensed money transmitter last month, it is continuing to pursue other charges, including money laundering.
