Roman Storm retrial postponed to April 2027

Roman Storm, developer of Tornado CashThe retrial on the two counts on which the jury deadlocked last year has been postponed until April 26, 2027while the judge considers his request to have his conviction and remaining charges thrown out.

What’s the scoop?

• The trial is still ongoing: The storm was sentenced last August of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transfer business, but the jury was unable to reach a decision on the more serious money laundering charges and the penalties. Prosecutors opted to retry the two, who face a combined maximum sentence of 40 years, while Storm has yet to be sentenced based on his current conviction.
• Conflicting signals: The case continues even though, just weeks after Storm’s conviction, the DOJ said it would not bring new money transfer fees against developers of truly decentralized, non-custodial software that simply allows users to transact with each other.
• Analysis string twist: Storm also points out that On-Chain Analysisthe blockchain analysis company that helped prosecutors build their case, itself operated a Tornado Cash relay in 2022 and collected fees on transactions. Storm’s defense attempted to have Chainalysis testify during his first trial, but an employee planned to invoke the Fifth Amendment, while another who could audit company records I never spoke. So the jury never heard that Chainalysis itself operated a relay, although prosecutors argued that the relays were part of the broader Tornado Cash service.