Ethereum Foundation backs convicted Tornado Cash co-founder with $500K pledge

Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm’s legal defence will receive another $500,000 in donations as the Ethereum Foundation has pledged to match community contributions after his recent conviction on one federal charge.

According to the Ethereum Foundation, the organisation will match community donations up to the pledged amount to help fund Storm’s ongoing appeal.

“Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime, ” Ethereum Foundation co-executive director Wei Wang wrote on X, reiterating the group’s stance.

Ethereum Foundation’s pledge comes at a time when Storm faces mounting legal costs. 

The Free Pertsev & Storm legal aid group, which coordinates his fundraising, said the appeal remains urgent, with Storm facing up to five years in prison if it fails and potentially decades if prosecutors retry the two unresolved conspiracy counts.

According to the group, the verdict is expected to “set a major precedent for developers worldwide” as it urged the crypto community to continue contributing.

Storm seeks help from the community

Storm’s latest fundraising goal builds on previous rounds that have already brought in millions.

His legal team, which worked through a three-week trial in New York, has warned that litigation expenses remain high due to expert witness fees, extensive research, and continuous filings.

In July 2025, midway through his trial, Storm sought another $1.5 million in donations from the crypto community, saying his team was “working around the clock” and that expenses were “piling up fast.” 

This came after a July 14 request for $500,000 to address what he described as a “critical shortfall” ahead of the trial.

The Ethereum Foundation, for instance, has previously contributed $750,000 to his legal fund, which included an earlier $500,000 commitment and a similar matching pledge that drew additional community donations.

Court finds Storm guilty

On August 6, a Manhattan jury convicted Storm of operating an unlicensed money transmitter but failed to reach a verdict on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate US sanctions.

Jurors deliberated for four days before telling Judge Katherine Polk Failla they were deadlocked on the two more serious counts. 

Prosecutors had argued that Storm knowingly enabled Tornado Cash to be used by criminals, including North Korea’s Lazarus Group hackers, while the defence maintained that the protocol operated autonomously without any mechanism for developers to block transactions.

Disagreement over whether coding can be a crime shaped the jury’s split verdict.

A number of jurors rejected the idea of convicting a developer who could not control how the protocol was used.

Prosecutors pressed for Storm’s immediate detention, but the judge ruled he could remain on bond as the legal battle continues.

Within the crypto community, the case has sparked concern about the potential criminalisation of software development. 

Among Storm’s supporters, crypto advocate Jake Chervinsky called the verdict “a sad day for DeFi,” arguing that US money transmission laws should not apply to developers of non-custodial protocols.

“This is a terrible outcome for Roman and for all of crypto. If the Trump administration wants the USA to be the crypto capital of the world, then DOJ must not be allowed to retry the two deadlocked charges,” Chervinsky added.

Other supporters agree that the verdict could make any coder liable if someone uses their work for illegal purposes, even when the coder had no intent or control.

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