Tornado Cash founder Roman Storm is making desperate pleas for donations to fund his legal defense, as he faces the imminent possibility of years in prison.
The founder of the crypto coin-mixing service for anonymous payments is asking for another $2 million after already seemingly expending millions over the past two years.
In August 2023, the US government alleged that Storm and his co-founder made millions of dollars through Tornado Cash. According to Storm, seizures and subsequent legal expenses have depleted those resources.
In August 2022, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Tornado Cash over its assistance with North Korean payments with suspected links to money laundering.
However, as of November 2024, the powerful US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that OFAC exceeded its authority and removed Tornado Cash and over 100 of its crypto wallets from US sanctions.
Nevertheless, the criminal trial against Storm continues. Specifically, his jury trial is scheduled to begin on July 14 in a Manhattan courthouse. He faces a maximum sentence of 45 years for conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to evade sanctions, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter.
Read more: OFAC ‘overstepped’ on Tornado Cash sanctions, court orders reversal
Legal fees for the Tornado Cash founder
A depressing graphic on Storm’s campaign page shows a mere $256 collected of his $2 million goal as of publication time. Curiously, a tweet from Storm hours prior showed a tally of $7,290.
The explanation for that $7,034 discrepancy was not immediately clear.
Many users seemed confused about the changing numbers on Storm’s website, including Jameson Lopp. Some flagged Smolting to archive the shifty event for crypto history.
For his part, Storm earned millions in donations in 2024 and successfully raised $2 million by January 2025, yet an extension of his trial and associated legal complications are continuing to raise his attorneys’ fees.