Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm Will Stand Trial, DOJ Says - Decrypt

The US Department of Justice said it will press forward with charges against Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm, with trial in a Manhattan courtroom in less than two months, according to a court filing. Prosecutors will argue that Storm conspired to commit money laundering, operate an unlicensed money transmitter business, and evade U.S. sanctions, though the DOJ said it will drop one aspect of the unlicensed money transmitter charge. Coin Center's Peter Van Valkenburgh said that aspect conflicted with 2019 FinCEN guidance stating that non-custodial entities such as Tornado Cash are not money transmitters. Judge Katherine Polk Failla rejected Storm's motion to dismiss in September, finding that using computer code to further alleged money laundering is not protected by the First Amendment.