The Ethereum Foundation has pledged significant financial support for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm's upcoming criminal trial, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate about crypto privacy tools and developer liability.

Substantial Financial Backing for Defense

On June 13, 2025, the Ethereum Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to Storm's legal defense fund, with an additional commitment to match community donations up to $750,000. This brings the potential total support to $1.25 million as Storm prepares for trial beginning July 14 in New York. The foundation framed its support with the statement: "Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime."

High-Stakes Legal Battle Approaches

Storm faces charges including money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter, stemming from his work on the Ethereum-based privacy tool Tornado Cash. His legal team previously attempted to have the case dismissed in December 2024 after a court ruled that OFAC overstepped its authority in sanctioning the mixer's smart contracts.

【Critical Context】The trial comes as Alexey Pertsev, another Tornado Cash developer, serves a five-year sentence in the Netherlands for money laundering, while co-developer Roman Semenov remains at large, reportedly in Russia.

Industry-Wide Support Emerges

Major crypto advocacy groups including Coin Center and the Blockchain Association have filed amicus briefs in Storm's case. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Paradigm's Matt Huang have also contributed to defense funds. ——"If I lose, DeFi dies with me,"—— Storm warned in a recent social media post, claiming prosecutors want to "bury DeFi" by holding him responsible for how others used the open-source tool.

Broader Implications for Crypto Development

This case represents a crucial test for how courts view developer responsibility for decentralized protocols. The Ethereum Foundation's substantial investment in Storm's defense signals the industry's commitment to protecting open-source development and privacy-preserving technologies. With trial preparations underway, the crypto community watches closely as this precedent-setting case could reshape the regulatory landscape for decentralized finance.