Snowden Backs Tornado Cash Devs Pertsev and Storm, Raising $350K+

• Legal Defense Fund for Tornado Cash Developers Surpasses $350K, Gains Support from Edward Snowden
• Allegations Against Developers
• DOJ's Accusations
• Storm's Appeal and Snowden's Support

Legal Defense Fund for Tornado Cash Developers Surpasses $350K, Gains Support from Edward Snowden

In a significant show of support, a legal defense fund established for Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev has amassed over $350,000. Notably, the fund has also received public backing from Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower.

Allegations Against Developers

Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, key figures behind Tornado Cash, are facing accusations of money laundering and sanctions violations in the U.S. Storm, who has dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Russia, found himself under house arrest in Washington State following his arrest by the Department of Justice (DOJ). This happened after charges for money laundering and sanctions violations were filed against him in August 2023. Despite these allegations, Storm maintains his innocence, pleading not guilty to all claims. Roman Semenov, another influential voice in the development team and co-founder of the project, has also been charged, although he has not been arrested.

DOJ's Accusations

The DOJ asserts that the mixing service, a feature of Tornado Cash aimed at obscuring wallet addresses to ensure anonymity for both sender and receiver, saw more than $1 billion in crypto flow through it. This took place while Pertsev, another developer tied to the platform, was incarcerated in The Netherlands, where he has been since 2023.

Storm's Appeal and Snowden's Support

Storm has spoken out about the severity of his situation, stating that the year 2024 will be a pivotal moment in his life. Despite feeling fear, he also expressed hope in the community's support and urged individuals to contribute to his legal defense fund. Edward Snowden, a staunch advocate for privacy rights, amplified Storm's appeal by asking people to contribute. Snowden emphasized that Privacy is not a crime, reiterating the importance of the right to privacy in the digital age.

Edited by Jonathan Stoker