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Prosecutors Seek October Retrial of Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm on Deadlocked Conspiracy Counts

The judge will first hear his Rule 29 acquittal motion on April 9.

Overview

  • SDNY prosecutors asked Judge Katherine Polk Failla to set an October 5 or 12 retrial on conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions.
  • The government seeks to retry counts one and three of the superseding indictment, which together carry a potential maximum sentence of up to 40 years.
  • A Manhattan jury last August convicted Storm of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business but deadlocked on the two conspiracy charges after a four-week trial, prompting a mistrial on those counts.
  • Treasury recently told Congress that lawful users may employ mixers for financial privacy, a stance that contrasts with the Justice Department’s push to retry a mixer developer.
  • Storm said his defense funds are largely exhausted, and supporters are urging policy action including the reintroduced Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act.