Roman Storm Found Guilty Over Tornado Cash Operations

Roman Storm, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, was found guilty by a federal jury in Manhattan on one charge: conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. The verdict was announced in late August 2025, after the jury failed to reach a consensus on other charges, including sanctions violations and money laundering, which were subsequently dropped.

The U.S. Department of Justice accused Storm of enabling illicit transactions through Tornado Cash, including some linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. Prosecutors argued that Storm had the ability to alter the platform’s code to prevent such use but chose not to do so.

His defense team maintained that the software was designed to enhance privacy in decentralized systems, and its misuse was not inherent to the tool.

Storm was indicted in August 2023 and released on bail. Public support from prominent crypto figures, such as Vitalik Buterin, helped raise over $3 million for his legal defense.