Roman Storm, the co-founder and developer of Tornado Cash, implored his followers on X to help with his legal fees after US federal agents forcefully entered his home.
Despite Storm only having 6,948 followers, the video has already amassed over 1 million views online.
Tornado Cash Co-Founder Requests Help with Legal Fees
Storm describes the gravity of his situation to his followers, recounting the moment when US authorities forcefully entered his home, with his daughter in the vicinity, to conduct a raid.
“A few months, despite my ongoing cooperations with US authorities, heavily FBI agents raided my home at 6am and arrested me in front of my 3 year old daughter.”
Additionally, he explains that the result of his legal conflict with US regulators will influence the broader community.
Read more: Tornado Cash: Everything You Need To Know
This impact extends beyond just the web3 sector, encompassing individuals who champion the safeguarding of privacy rights.
I need your help. Whether you are a passionate developer like me in web3, or just care about privacy, this legal battle will affect you.”
The donation request was also amplified by privacy advocate Edward Snowden, who added:
“If you can help, please help. Privacy is not a crime.”
In September 2023, Storm pleaded not guilty to the federal charges laid against him.
Tornado Cash Alleged Involvement with Lazarus Group
The US government has alleged that the North Korean hacking collective Lazarus Group used Tornado Cash to launder nearly half a billion dollars.
Storm’s legal team strongly refuted the allegations against him, indicating there had been a misunderstanding:
“We think the government got it wrong here.”
Read more: Coinomize Review 2023: Is This the Right Coin Mixer for You?
In April 2023, Alex Pertsev, a fellow developer, regained freedom after spending approximately nine months behind bars.
His arrest closely followed the listing of several Tornado Cash addresses on the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sanctions list by the US Treasury Department.
Meanwhile, in more recent news, Binance took action by delisting the Tornado Cash token from its exchange in November 2023. This led to a significant price decline of 50.76%.
At the time of publication, Tornado Cash’s price stands at $1.58.
In a statement, Binance explained that the exchange regularly conducts reviews and decided that this token no longer meets the high standards it has in place. The exchange states that it does this to protect its users.
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