Facing 45 Years, Roman Storm Chooses Silence in Federal Money-Laundering Trial

Roman Storm will not testify in his own defense during his landmark money laundering trial, lawyers for the Tornado Cash developer say.

Roman Storm Declines to Testify in Federal Court

According to a July 29 report from Inner City Press, Storm and his lawyer told U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Polk Failla that the crypto-mixer co-founder would not take the stand in Manhattan federal court this week.

“Mr. Storm, you know you can testify,” the media outlet quotes Failla as saying. “You have chosen not to testify?”

“Yes, your honor,” Storm replied.

Defense Fund Nears $5 Million Contribution Goal

News of Storm’s decision not to testify comes just days after he took to X to beg his supporters for more contributions to his legal defense fund.

“Our lawyers and experts are working around the clock—we’ve forgotten what normal sleep feels like,” Storm wrote in the July 26 post. “Every hour counts, and so do the costs.”

According to the Free Roman Storm website, contributions to Storm’s defense have exceeded $4.5 million, nearly reaching his $5 million goal.

“If you believe in fairness, open-source, and freedom, please help us finish strong,” he added.

Storm has faced an intense legal few weeks since his watershed open-source trial kicked off in New York City earlier this month.

Storm and fellow Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Semenov were indicted in August 2023 on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and sanctions violations.

Federal prosecutors allege Storm laundered and concealed more than $1 billion through Tornado Cash—including hundreds of millions for the Lazarus Group, North Korea’s state-sponsored malware collective.

“Roman Storm and Roman Semenov allegedly operated Tornado Cash and knowingly facilitated this money laundering,” then-U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in an August 2023 press release.

If convicted, Storm faces up to 45 years in federal prison.