Prosecutors link Roman Storm to DPRK hackers in trial opening statements

Jury selection in the criminal trial of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm wrapped up on Tuesday, and prosecutors and defense attorneys issued their own statements in a case that could have significant repercussions for the crypto and blockchain industry.

According to reporting from Inner City Press inside the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, US prosecutors focused much of their opening statement on attempting to link Storm to North Korean hackers using Tornado Cash to launder funds, in violation of US sanctions. The Lazarus Group was allegedly behind a 2022 hack of the Ronin Bridge, which removed about $600 million in crypto.

“The defendant was profiting from a giant washing machine for dirty money,” reportedly said Assistant US Attorney Kevin Mosley, adding: “Mr. Storm had choices. Once he learned he was washing money for criminals, he still chose to commit crimes. He continued.”

The criminal trial has attracted attention from significant figures in the crypto and blockchain industry, likely concerned with the impact any judgment would have on developers looking to code and create new products. While Storm appeared in US federal court, his indicted colleague, Roman Semenov, was still at large at the time of publication.

The defense attorneys faced two objections in their opening statements 

Storm’s legal team reportedly argued in its opening statements that Tornado Cash was “a privacy protocol freely available to everyone” and the developer shouldn’t be held criminally responsible for others using it to launder illicit funds. The US prosecutors objected twice during the opening statement in response to hypothetical references to the physical safety of users.

“Roman had nothing to do with the hacks,” said Storm’s lawyer, Keri Axel, according to Inner City Press. “The government’s case is entirely based on that Roman should have done something about these pools. But he couldn’t.”

Axel added:

“The world is full of products that have legitimate uses and are misused. Signal, or even a hammer that can be used to break in and steal stuff. The government can't show a criminal agreement for a criminal purpose.”

The trial was ongoing at the time of publication, with the government calling its first witnesses. According to Storm, the proceedings could last about a month.