Roman Storm, a developer of the Ethereum-based crypto mixer Tornado Cash, is set to face trial in the United States this July. A recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla has denied a request to compel the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review and potentially share additional records that could aid Storm’s defense.
The judge’s decision, issued on a Friday, comes amid preparations for the upcoming trial and marks a significant procedural development. Judge Failla stated that based on the DOJ’s representations, there was no indication of additional material that would be exculpatory or beneficial to Storm’s legal team. “I’m not going to require a further review based on the representations made that there’s no additional material of this type,” she said.
This ruling is crucial, as a court order demanding prosecutors to disclose all relevant information could have influenced the strength and strategy of Storm’s defense. Under U.S. law, prosecutors are obligated to share any evidence that may support the defendant’s case. The denial of further record review suggests that the court accepts the DOJ’s position that it has fulfilled its disclosure duties.
Storm’s trial follows the DOJ’s confirmation earlier this month that it will proceed with prosecuting him. The charges against Storm and Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Semenov, originally filed in August 2023, accuse them of operating an unlicensed crypto mixing service and laundering over $1 billion in illicit funds.
The case has evolved as the DOJ shifts its focus away from targeting crypto mixing platforms themselves. A recent internal memo revealed that prosecutors will concentrate efforts on “bad actors” who abuse these services for illegal activities such as money laundering, rather than pursuing charges against the platforms as a whole.
Notably, this pivot comes shortly after a Dutch court released Alexey Pertsev, another Tornado Cash developer who was arrested in Amsterdam in August 2022.
The upcoming trial of Roman Storm will be closely watched by the crypto community, as it highlights ongoing regulatory and legal scrutiny of privacy-focused cryptocurrency tools.
