Roman Storm, co-founder of **Tornado Cash**, faces obstacles ahead of his July 14 trial. He claims the U.S. Department of Justice is hindering his defense efforts by rejecting five expert witnesses and imposing restrictions on the sixth, **Matthew Edman**, a blockchain expert.
The case originated when the U.S. sanctioned **Tornado Cash** in 2023, alleging involvement in aiding North Korean hackers. Storm refutes these accusations, focusing on the challenge of securing a fair trial without adequate expert witnesses.
The DOJ countered by dismissing most expert witnesses as irrelevant to the core issue of alleged violations of international sanctions. They criticized witness selection and the topics covered, arguing that testimony on digital privacy, blockchain tech, tokenomics, and KYC rules was immaterial to the case.
Despite being removed from the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions list, **Tornado Cash** still faces pressure, with growing community support. Donations have poured into Storm’s legal fund, including a $500K pledge from the Ethereum Foundation and $750K from the crypto community.
Storm’s defense team requested a two-day extension to respond to the DOJ’s motion blocking their expert witnesses. The DOJ opposes the extension request, despite having sought a similar delay if needed.
Charges against Storm include money laundering, with the DOJ dropping unlicensed money transmitter charges but pursuing other allegations related to **Tornado Cash**’s operation. The outcome of the trial remains uncertain without essential expert witnesses.
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