Roman Storm's trial verdict allows the US government to potentially retry the Tornado Cash developer on charges of money laundering and violating sanctions due to a hung jury. The Department of Justice (DOJ) will decide on pursuing these charges in the coming days, according to legal experts. Storm was found guilty of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, but the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the money laundering and sanctions violation charges. Attorneys highlight that this case could set a precedent affecting decentralized finance (DeFi) and potentially lead to broader enforcement of federal money transmitter laws. The Treasury Department accused Tornado Cash of facilitating the laundering of over $7 billion in cryptocurrency linked to North Korean hackers. Legal observers express concern that retrying the hung charges could pose significant risks to decentralized finance applications, emphasizing the importance of the outcome for digital privacy and open-source software development in the US.

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