Ethereum Foundation Donates $500K to Tornado Cash Co-Founder Roman Storm’s Legal Defense

The foundation also pledged to match up to an additional $750,000 in community donations.

In a post shared Friday on X, the foundation affirmed its stance, writing, “Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.” The contribution comes as Storm races to raise $2 million to cover legal expenses for his trial scheduled to begin July 14 in New York.

Storm faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions laws for his role in developing and operating the Tornado Cash protocol. The U.S. government alleges the protocol facilitated illicit transactions, including those linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.

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Storm has maintained that Tornado Cash was created as a tool to preserve financial privacy, and not for criminal purposes. His legal defense has become a focal point within the crypto community, seen by many as a litmus test for the rights of open-source developers.

The Ethereum Foundation’s donation signals growing institutional concern over legal actions targeting blockchain developers and privacy protocols. With the trial fast approaching, the foundation’s contribution and matching offer aim to galvanize broader support from the crypto ecosystem.

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