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Tornado Cash Developer’s $3.5M Defense Fund Reaches 57% Amid High-Stakes Crypto Trial

The criminal trial of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm has intensified debate around cryptocurrency regulation and software development freedoms, with a $3.5 million legal defense fund now over halfway complete. Approximately 57% of the fundraising goal has been met through significant contributions from the Ethereum Foundation and MetaCartel DAO.

Storm faces potential imprisonment of up to 45 years in a case prosecutors allege involves illegal money transmission through the decentralized Tornado Cash protocol. The mounting legal costs underscore the complexity of prosecuting DeFi-related cases and the existential risks for developers building privacy-focused blockchain tools.

The trial has sparked broader legal questions regarding the status of open-source software development under existing financial regulations. Advocacy groups have condemned the prosecution as ‘lawless,’ highlighting concerns about government overreach in targeting creators of decentralized technologies.

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