On August 6, 2025, jurors in the Southern District of New York delivered a verdict in the case of Roman Storm, one of the three founders of the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash. He was found guilty of conspiracy to conduct unlicensed money transmission operations. The verdict carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, unless the U.S. Department of Justice initiates a retrial.
This is reported by Business • Media
Charges Against the Founders of Tornado Cash
Roman Storm, along with Roman Semenov and Alexey Pertsev, were at the forefront of Tornado Cash. After the service was blocked in August 2024, U.S. authorities charged them with money laundering, violating sanctions, and conducting unlicensed money transfer businesses. In May 2024, Alexey Pertsev was sentenced to 64 months in prison, along with the confiscation of $2 million and a vehicle. He later filed an appeal and is currently free under electronic monitoring. The whereabouts of the third co-founder, Roman Semenov, are currently unknown.
Storm’s attorneys sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that U.S. authorities exceeded their authority in blocking the platform. Although sanctions against Tornado Cash were lifted in January 2025, the trial against Storm continued.
Trial Results
The jurors reached a consensus on only one charge — conspiracy to conduct unlicensed money transmission. They were unable to reach a unanimous decision on the other two charges — conspiracy to commit money laundering and violation of sanctions. The prosecution argued that Storm had the ability to alter the service’s code to prevent its criminal use but failed to do so.
Legal experts do not rule out that the U.S. Department of Justice may file a motion for a retrial on the charges where no decision was reached.
“The Department of Justice will make a decision in the coming days on whether to seek a retrial on these charges during a new court hearing. A dark day for DeFi.”
As of now, no date has been set for the next court hearing.