Vitalik's Tornado Cash Donation

Sponsor: Mantle — Mass adoption of decentralized & token-governed technologies.

Vitalik Buterin recently donated 50 ETH to support Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev in their legal battle against the US Department of Justice.

This donation highlights Vitalik’s recognition of the case's significance in defending privacy and open-source development. Roman Storm expressed his gratitude in a tweet, thanking Vitalik for the contribution and his support.

Roman Storm’s case remains active, but in December, his legal team filed a motion to dismiss the criminal charges against him. This motion references a Fifth Circuit Court ruling that deemed sanctions on Tornado Cash unlawful. The legal team further argues that Tornado Cash’s smart contracts operate autonomously, without control by any single individual. This autonomy undermines claims that Roman violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Roman Storm’s trial is set for April 14, 2025, over allegations of money laundering and sanctions violations linked to Tornado Cash. With 36% of the $2M fundraising goal reached, you can contribute to their legal defense here: https://wewantjusticedao.org/#trial

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