DOJ challenges motion to dismiss charges against Tornado Cash co-founder

PANews reported on April 28 that according to Cointelegraph, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opposed the motion to dismiss all charges against Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Semenov. It is reported that the DOJ's legal documents pointed out that the motion to dismiss submitted by the defense involves disputed facts, which should be considered by the jury, rather than motions applicable to the early stages of the case. The DOJ accused Semenov of conspiring with another developer, Roman Storm, to engage in money laundering, operate an unlicensed money transmission business, and violate sanctions by creating the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash. U.S. authorities claim that entities including North Korea's Lazarus Group used Tornado Cash to launder money. Although Semenov's legal team emphasized that Tornado Cash is not a custodial mixing service, does not meet the standards of a "financial institution", and Storm cannot control the service to prevent entities such as the Lazarus Group from using it, the DOJ's response criticized the co-founder of Tornado Cash for failing to make appropriate changes to exclude sanctioned addresses.