Ethereum Foundation Backs Roman Storm With $500K Ahead of Trial

The Ethereum Foundation has donated $500,000 to support Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm’s legal defense ahead of his July trial on money laundering and sanctions charges.

Storm, arrested in August 2023, faces accusations of enabling criminals—including North Korea’s Lazarus Group—to launder over $1 billion through the ethereum ( ETH) privacy tool. Privacy advocates argue that Storm’s charges are unjust because they criminalize the creation of neutral, open-source technology, which—like encryption or privacy tools—can be used for lawful purposes, setting a dangerous precedent for software developers. The foundation also pledged to match up to $750,000 in additional community donations. Storm, a U.S. citizen originally from Russia, maintains that writing open-source code is not criminal. His trial begins July 14, 2025, in New York.