The ongoing trial of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm has entered a critical phase, with multiple testimonies from hack victims highlighting the platform’s lack of support after major crypto exploits. The courtroom drama has stirred fresh debates over the accountability of developers behind decentralized protocols.
Government Witnesses Say Victims Were Ignored
On day two of the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from three key witnesses. Each detailed attempts to seek assistance from the Tornado Cash team after being targeted by various scams and hacks. These included:
- A Georgia-based woman who lost $250,000 to a pig butchering scam
- A legal representative from BitMart, which suffered a $200 million hack in 2021
- Andy Ho, CTO of Sky Mavis, developer of Axie Infinity, who testified about the infamous $625 million Ronin Bridge exploit
In each case, the witnesses claimed they received no meaningful assistance from Roman Storm or the Tornado Cash team. Prosecutors used this to argue that Storm ignored requests for help and refused to implement safeguards to deter criminal misuse of the protocol.
Defense Argues Tornado Cash Was Beyond Storm’s Control
Storm’s lawyers countered by pointing out the decentralized nature of Tornado Cash, which by design limits any individual’s ability to reverse transactions or alter platform behavior.
One of the most telling exchanges came when Joseph Evans, BitMart’s lawyer, admitted that Roman Storm was the only person who responded to his outreach efforts. Other platforms contacted after the hack — including 1inch, Binance, and Cloudflare — failed to provide any assistance or required formal legal action.
The defense emphasized that even if Storm wanted to help, he had no control over funds moved through Tornado Cash due to the protocol’s architecture. When asked directly by Evans in 2021 whether anything could be done to recover the funds, Storm replied that the decentralized system offered no mechanisms to intervene.
Decentralization on Trial
This case is shaping up to be a landmark test of how legal systems will handle open-source developers and decentralized tools in the future. With billions in crypto being laundered through such protocols, the outcome could redefine the responsibilities of developers in the Web3 era.
As the trial continues, the crypto industry watches closely — will the court rule based on intent, or on the immutable nature of code?
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.