Founder of Ethereum-based crypto mixer Tornado Cash to stand trial for alleged money laundering

• Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm will stand trial on money laundering charges as a US federal judge denies a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
• The US Department of Justice has brought charges against the founder of the Ethereum-based crypto mixer for laundering more than $1 billion.
• Storm Roman not protected by the First Amendment, each charge against Storm carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
• Ethereum is trading above key support at $2,600 on Saturday.

Tornado Cash is a cryptocurrency mixer based on the Ethereum blockchain. Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm faces three charges from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison each, along with a conspiracy charge that carries up to five years in prison. prison.

Storm’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit was denied, and the executive is set to go to trial.

The co-founder of Tornado Cash will stand trial on charges brought by the US Department of Justice

Roman Storm’s lawyers argued that the Tornado Cash co-founders’ involvement in the crypto mixer and the funds laundered through it was limited to the development of software, protected by the First Amendment. However, District Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) denied Storm’s motion to dismiss the criminal charges and said the argument was not enough to overcome the DOJ’s complaint, according to a Coindesk report on the matter .

According to Judge Failla, the government has made plausible allegations against Tornado Cash’s developer, and the functionality of the code does not qualify as free speech.

Roman Storm is now set to stand trial on money laundering and conspiracy charges brought against him, and the co-founder also faces jail time.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) completed his prison sentence and was released on Friday, September 27.

Ethereum is trading above the $2,600 support, changing hands at $2,664 at the time of writing.