Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm Seeks Dismissal of Indictment Over Crypto-Laundering Allegations

Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm has filed a motion to dismiss a criminal indictment alleging he conspired to commit money laundering and violate sanctions. Storm, arrested last year over his work with the mixer, maintains that building Tornado Cash, a tool used to obscure the origin and destination of cryptocurrency transfers, is not equivalent to laundering money. The filing asserts that Storm, along with his company Peppersec, simply developed software solutions to provide financial privacy to legitimate cryptocurrency users, and that he did not work with groups like North Korea's Lazarus, despite Tornado Cash being used by such entities. Storm's legal team argues that the indictment misrepresents his role and the nature of Tornado Cash, stating that it is not a mixer or service but rather a set of non-custodial smart contracts allowing users to maintain ownership and control over their assets without relying on intermediaries. The motion further contends that Storm could not have conspired to launder funds or operate a money transmitter without a Tornado Cash enterprise, and challenges the DOJ's characterization of his involvement with alleged bad actors. This motion to dismiss follows similar charges against fellow developer Alexey Pertsev and comes amid ongoing legal battles surrounding cryptocurrency and financial privacy.