Roman Storm, a co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, was taken into custody by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on August 23 on charges of money laundering and other offenses.
However, his lawyer, Brian Klein, swiftly announced that Storm has been granted bail following his arrest.
Expressing his discontent, Klein highlighted his disappointment with the prosecution’s decision to target Storm for his involvement in software development.
Klein stated that this legal approach sets a risky precedent, potentially affecting all software developers.
Storm’s release on bail occurred shortly after the DOJ’s announcement of his arrest and the charges brought against him and fellow Tornado Cash founder Roman Semenov on August 23.
The charges presented by U.S. authorities revolve around allegations of operating Tornado Cash’s services and purportedly laundering over $1 billion in illicit funds.
Additional charges entail accusations of engaging in a conspiracy to violate sanctions and running an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Despite the release of Storm on bail, there has been no immediate response from his lawyer, Klein, in relation to Cointelegraph’s inquiry.
This development emerges approximately a year after the U.S. Treasury Department designated Tornado Cash-associated addresses as part of the Office of Foreign Asset Control’s (OFAC) list of Specially Designated Nationals.
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This action led to the subsequent arrest of another Tornado Cash developer, Alexey Pertsev, in the Netherlands.
Pertsev spent around nine months in custody before being released in April 2023.
It is important to note that Storm and Pertsev are not the sole developers of Tornado Cash who have faced legal actions.
Roman Semenov, another co-founder, was also added to OFAC’s list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons on August 23.
Despite being listed, Semenov has yet to be arrested for the alleged offenses.
The situation reflects an ongoing legal battle surrounding the cryptocurrency mixing service and its developers.
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