Vitalik Buterin donates 100 ETH to Roman Storm's legal defense

Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin has contributed another 100 Ether, valued at approximately $240,000, to the legal defense fund for Roman Storm, a Tornado Cash (CRYPTO:TORN) developer facing prosecution in the U.S.

This marks the third time Buterin has supported Storm's defense fund, which now holds over 327 ETH, or roughly $785,000, from 148 contributors.

Storm expressed gratitude for the ongoing support, stating, “I can’t describe how much it means to me. Thank you for your long-lasting support.” 

The funds are being raised through a crowdsourcing campaign to aid in Storm’s legal battle.

The case against Storm stems from his involvement in creating Tornado Cash, an open-source privacy tool, and is moving forward after U.S. Judge Katherine Failla denied his motion to dismiss the charges.

Failla explained that the accusations against Storm were not unfounded, adding, “I cannot simply accept Mr. Storm’s narrative that he is being prosecuted merely for writing code.”

Storm, who has pleaded not guilty, faces a potential sentence of up to 45 years if convicted on all three charges.

He maintains that Tornado Cash is open-source software, freely available for anyone to use, and not under the control of its developers.

Tornado Cash was sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2022 for allegedly facilitating money laundering.

Despite the legal challenges and sanctions, Tornado Cash saw approximately $1.9 billion in deposits in the first half of 2024, reflecting a 50% increase from the previous year.

The crypto community has rallied behind Storm and other developers, with JusticeDAO raising over 654 ETH for their defense fund.

At the time of reporting, the Ethereum price was $2,488.45, and the Tornado Cash price was $2.28.