Co-founder Ethereum Vitalik Buterin donated 50 ETH (approximately $170,000) to support the legal defense of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
"A huge thank you to Vitalik Buterin for his generous donation to my legal defense fund. Your unwavering support and leadership continues to inspire us all. Thank you for being with me during this difficult time," Storm wrote.
Storm also shared an update on his legal defense fund, which has raised $640,061 so far, just 33% of its $2 million goal.
Storm is due to appear in court in the US on April 14 on charges of money laundering and violating sanctions through the cryptocurrency mixing platform Tornado Cash.
Recall that in December, Storm's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the criminal charges, questioning the US Treasury Department's authority to sanction Tornado Cash's immutable smart contracts.
Tornado Cash's smart contracts operate autonomously without individual oversight, the attorneys said. The lack of oversight undermines claims that Storm knowingly violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Creating and publishing open-source privacy tools is protected free speech, not an act of furthering any criminal conspiracy using software, Rivet founder Greg Lang said in support of Storm.
