- Roman Storm has alleged that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) wants to bury DeFi
- The DOJ has dismissed five of Storms six proposed expert witnesses, severely curtailing testimony on blockchain technology, privacy, and KYC
- The Ethereum Foundation and other DeFi advocates have pledged over $1 million in legal support
Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm has framed his upcoming trial as a pivotal battle for decentralized finance (DeFi), accusing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) of attempting to crush the sector by targeting its developers rather than users. The agency has objected to the inclusion of Storms five expert witnesses, further limiting his ability to argue the technical and philosophical underpinnings of DeFi. This setback hasnt stopped his supporters, however, with the Ethereum Foundation and crypto advocacy groups rallying behind him and donating half a million dollars to his defense, with more to come.
Prosecutors Trying to Crush Storm
Storms allegation that the DOJ has got it in for DeFi came on X, where he warned of the pivotal nature of his case:
Storm faces charges including conspiracy to launder money, running an unlicensed money transmitter, and evading U.S. sanctions stemming from the Tornado Cash platforms alleged role in laundering North Korean hacker proceeds. His defense maintains that it is pernicious to hold code authors criminally liable for how their software is used, with Storm himself claiming that, in moving to block his witnesses, the Southern District of New York was trying to crush me.
He also opined that the future of DeFi rested on the outcome of the case, stating, If I lose, DeFi dies with me.
Can I Get a Witness?
Southern District of New York prosecutors have moved aggressively to exclude Storms expert witnesses, arguing that testimony on blockchain protocol nuances, digital privacy, token mechanics, and KYC policies are irrelevant, unfairly prejudicial, and confusing to the jury. Of Storms six witnesses, the DOJ wants to block five, leaving the sixth, blockchain forensics expert Matthew Edman (who testified in the Kleiman v Wright trial in 2021), facing significant limitations on his evidence. The government insists the case rests on concrete allegationsmoney laundering and sanctions violationsnot broader technology or philosophy.
Storm may have endured a week from hell, but there was some respite in the form of a $500,000 donation by the Ethereum Foundation with the promise to match up to $750,000 in community donations. Industry groups Coin Center, DeFi Education Fund, and the Blockchain Association have also submitted amicus briefs warning that criminalizing developers risks undermining DeFis core principles, in a sign of the broader battle at play.
