Advocacy Groups Call for Dismissal of Charges Against Roman Storm
More than 65 cryptocurrency and blockchain companies and advocacy groups have called on US President Donald Trump to step in as federal prosecutors may be preparing to retry Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm.
In a letter to Trump dated Thursday and shared with Cointelegraph, advocacy organizations including the Solana Policy Institute, Blockchain Association and DeFi Education Fund, among others, made several requests regarding crypto-related policies.
The groups asked Trump to direct the IRS and US Treasury to clarify tax policy on digital assets, protect DeFi from regulators and encourage regulatory clarity through financial regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Notable, however, was the letter’s request for Trump to “urge the Department of Justice to dismiss all open charges against Roman Storm” and support overturning his conviction for running an unlicensed money transmitting service.
“Recognizing that Storm’s work on Tornado Cash represents the publication of open-source software – not a financial crime,” stated the letter. “Dropping the case would reaffirm the Administration’s commitment to protecting developers. Doing so will further support that code is speech under the First Amendment and signals that the US will protect innovation.”
Storm was found guilty in federal court of running an unlicensed money transmittal business, which was one of three charges he had been facing. The jury did not reach a decision on whether the Tornado Cash co-founder engaged in a conspiracy to commit money laundering or a conspiracy to violate sanctions.
Justice Department's Stance on Code and Potential Retrial
Roman Storm, who was indicted in August 2023 on three felony charges, pleaded not guilty. He consistently maintained his innocence, echoing the sentiment of many supporters: “Writing code is not a crime.”
Approximately two weeks after the verdict, a Justice Department official spoke at a summit hosted by the American Innovation Project, a cryptocurrency advocacy organization. Matthew Galeotti, the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s criminal division, stated that “merely writing code, without ill intent, is not a crime.”
Despite Galeotti’s comments, Jay Clayton, the interim US attorney for the Southern District of New York, filed a court document on November 12 opposing Storm’s motion for acquittal. As of Thursday, the parties are scheduled to reconvene in court for a conference to discuss the matter on January 22. No sentencing hearing for the single conviction currently appears on the public docket.
While a US president possesses some influence over the Justice Department in directing policy objectives, established norms have largely served as a barrier to presidents violating prosecutorial independence, such as ordering federal prosecutors to drop charges or indict individuals.
Cointelegraph reached out to the Solana Policy Institute for comment regarding the letter’s request for Trump’s intervention in the Storm case but had not received a response at the time of publication.