ETH core developer testifies in Roman Storm defense as gov’t rests case

Prosecutors successful the transgression proceedings of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm rested their lawsuit connected Thursday, opening the doorway for defence counsel to telephone an Ethereum halfway developer arsenic its archetypal witness. 

According to reporting by Inner City Press connected Thursday from the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Ethereum halfway developer Preston Van Loon testified successful the Storm’s defence case, which is expected to past astir a week. The developer reportedly described Tornado Cash arsenic a “privacy instrumentality for Ethereum” and said helium had utilized the mixing work 4 times to nonstop a combined 43 Ether (ETH) successful 2019 oregon 2020, citing information concerns.

“If [hackers] cognize the scope of my assets I tin go a target,” said Van Loon, according to reporting from the courtroom.

Cross-examination of Van Loon by prosecutors was mostly confined to questions astir immoderate idiosyncratic connections to Storm and whether helium utilized a “normal crypto level similar Coinbase.” Storm’s lawyers reportedly said connected Wednesday that they planned to telephone “two oregon 3 doctors” to testify, and perchance idiosyncratic from Chainalysis.

Related: What you request to cognize astir Roman Storm’s Tornado Cash trial

Van Loon’s grounds marked the ninth time of Storm’s transgression trial, successful which helium faces charges of wealth laundering, conspiracy to run an unlicensed wealth transmitter and conspiracy to interruption US sanctions related to his relation astatine Tornado Cash.

The Ethereum halfway developer had already been a enactment to a lawsuit against the US Treasury implicit its sanctions against the crypto mixing service’s astute declaration addresses.

Storm inactive faces imaginable situation time

With the defence expected to wrapper up its lawsuit wrong 2 weeks, Storm’s lawyers made different filing connected Thursday, requesting that the justice modify the assemblage instructions to clarify accusation connected Tornado Cash and the North Korean hackers, the Lazarus Group.

Storm perchance faces years successful situation if convicted and sentenced. Judge Katherine Failla reportedly said connected Monday that she was mindful of the charges successful different crypto-related cases, including that of erstwhile FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years aft being recovered blameworthy of 7 felony charges.

Alexey Pertsev, 1 of the 3 Tornado Cash co-founders and developers, was sentenced to much than 5 years successful situation successful 2024. He was recovered blameworthy of wealth laundering successful the Netherlands.

Magazine: Robinhood’s tokenized stocks person stirred up a ineligible hornet’s nest