Ethereum core developer Federico Carrone said that he would contribute $500,000 to Roman Storm’s legal fund amid the Tornado Cash co-founder facing a potential retrial in New York.
In a Monday X post, Carrone said his experience in Turkey led to the decision to increase his donation to Storm from $50,000 to $500,000. The developer reported that he had been detained by Turkish authorities for about 24 hours over alleged links to an Ethereum privacy protocol.
“[A]fter what happened to me, I need to take a clear position,” said Carrone, adding: “I understand that the [Ethereum Foundation] will be matching donations up to another $500K for Roman Storm’s defense, which means our contribution can have double the impact. Our team is currently moving money to execute the transaction.”
Storm, one of three co-founders and developers of the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, was indicted in 2023 on charges related to money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter and conspiracy to violate US sanctions.
As of Tuesday, he reported raising about $5.4 million for his legal defense fund, which included donations from the Ethereum Foundation and the Golem Foundation.
Storm and many of his backers have repeatedly claimed that writing code was not a crime in support of his criminal defense. However, a New York jury found Storm guilty of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter on Aug. 6 and deadlocked on the other two charges, opening the door to a potential retrial.
Roman Storm is still fundraising after guilty verdict
The Tornado Cash co-founder set a $7 million goal for the fund supporting the legal defense for his criminal case, which could easily run through December, if not longer. On Monday, a federal judge signed off on Storm’s attorneys and US prosecutors agreeing to postpone procedural deadlines that could affect a potential retrial.
As of Tuesday, Storm’s sentencing hearing for the single felony count had not been scheduled. He could face up to five years in prison.
