Crypto Advocacy Groups Support Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm

Following the apprehension of the Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, the crypto advocacy groups have stepped up to challenge the court ruling. The use of Tornado Cash to transfer illicit funds and the violation of the Western sanctions subjected Storm to multiple legal charges.

In August last year, the law enforcers arrested Storm for his role at Tornado Cash. Based on the case’s complexity, Mr Storm filed a motion urging the court to dismiss the charges. 

Advocacy Groups Support Dismissal of Tornado Cash Developer Case

Even though the court has not issued its final verdict, various advocacy groups, including the Coin Center, Blockchain Association, and DeFi Education Fund, reacted to Storm’s plea by filing an amicus brief. 

A review of three amicus briefs from the crypto advocacy groups condemned the court characterization of Storm case. Even though the amicus briefs were filed separately, the three advocacy groups had similar arguments. 

According to the court, Storm and his colleague Roman Semenov supported the illicit funds transfer through Tornado Cash. The regulators alleged that Tornado Cash operated without complying with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) requirement. 

The court report indicates that Storm and Semenov operated unlicensed money transmitters. In retaliation for these allegations, the Blockchain Association argued that the court characterization of the Storm’s case contravened FinCEN’s legal requirements and principles. 

The association argued that Tornado Cash did not grant the intermediary complete control of customers’ funds. A review of the FinCEN policies demonstrated that there is no chance that a software developer can be grouped as a money transmitter. 

Crypto Advocacy Team Files Amicus Brief on Tornado Cash Developer

Based on the features of the Tornado Cash, the association noted that the platform does not grant developers control over users’ assets. The association criticized the allegations facing Storm and the impact of the court ruling on the existing regulation. 

The association argued that if the court sides with the regulators in profiling Tornado Cash as money transmitters, their ruling will be against the Bank Secrecy Act. In the latter, the association interpreted that the Storm case is bound to ban the development of anonymized protocols.

In support of the Blockchain Association’s argument, the Coin Center argues that Storm did not violate the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA), restricting any activity that threatens US national security. 

In the Coin Center brief, the advocacy group outlined the first amendment of the defense legal charges. The Coin Center explained that the software developer supported the existing sanctions’ violation since Tornado Cash was developed way back before the IEEPA took effect. 

They noted that Storm and colleagues had no power to restrict the use of Tornado by notorious illicit groups such as Lazarus Group. It implies that Tornado Cash was launched before the popularity of the Lazarus Group.

Community Reacts to Tornado Cash Case

Elsewhere, the DeFi Education Fund highlighted the outcome of the Storm’s case. The advocacy group argued that Storm losing the case would affect the entire rule-making and implementation process.

Citing the theories presented by the regulators on Storm’s case, the DeFi team regretted that if the court sides with the government agency, the authority will have the power to prosecute software developers creating projects that criminals might use in the future.

The DeFi team lamented that if Storm lost the case, the government would prosecute all the developers who built open-source software. They lamented that most software developers are unaware that their projects will be used in criminal activities in the future.

In an earlier interview, the founders of Tornado Cash argued that if court take that route the developers of the Linux operating system should be prosecuted for developing a computing tool used to create weapons of war.

A few weeks ago, the defense team representing Storm described the allegations as fatally flawed. The legal team urged the court to drop charges facing the Tornado Cash developers.

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