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The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has announced that it will be contributing $500,000 to the legal defense of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm. Storm faces three charges in the upcoming trial related to operating a crypto mixer in the United States.
In a June 13 post on the X platform, the Ethereum Foundation disclosed that it would donate $500,000 to Storm’s defense in the upcoming court trial. In addition to the significant contribution, the foundation intends to match up to an extra $750,000 in donations from the crypto community.
This Ethereum Foundation’s announcement comes about a month before the beginning of the trial, which would see Storm battle charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to violate US sanctions, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. If found guilty of all these charges, the crypto mixer co-founder faces a prison sentence of up to 45 years.
While Storm’s legal defense team has tried to get these charges dismissed in court, his trial is set to begin in New York on Monday, July 14. For his defense, the Tornado Cash developer is looking to raise about $2 million.
This statement touches on what has been a major talking point — privacy concerns — in the crypto community since Storm’s arrest in 2023 and other similar cases (the arrest of Telegram’s co-founder, Pavel Durov, in 2024). While the US prosecutors have declared intentions to drop the charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, Storm has maintained his innocence throughout this legal battle.
Earlier on Friday, Storm took to the social media platform X to appeal for the support of the crypto community, saying that the US judicial system is “trying to crush” him.
The crypto co-founder said:
If I lose, DeFi dies with me. The dream of financial freedom, the code I believed in — it all fades into darkness. I’m fighting, but the weight is unbearable. This isn’t just my end; it’s ours.
Storm also posted an appreciation message on X to the Ethereum Foundation for its $500,000 donation to his legal defense. “Your support means the world to me, especially standing up for privacy and the right to code. I’m so grateful to everyone chipping in — your generosity is truly inspiring! Thanks from the bottom of my heart,” the co-founder concluded.
