Thomas Daniels
In the ongoing criminal trial of Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm, his legal team called Ethereum core developer Preston Van Loon to the stand as the defense’s first witness, following the conclusion of the US government’s case.
After approximately two weeks of testimony from government witnesses, the prosecution rested on Thursday, clearing the way for Storm’s attorneys to introduce their own defense. According to reports from Inner City Press at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Van Loon described Tornado Cash as a “privacy tool for Ethereum,” detailing how he personally utilized the service on four occasions to send a combined total of 43 Ether (ETH), valued at $3,742 in 2019 or 2020, citing privacy concerns.
Van Loon explained that the use of Tornado Cash was motivated by the need to protect his assets from potential hackers. “If [hackers] know the scope of my assets, I can become a target,” he stated. The prosecution’s cross-examination focused on Van Loon’s relationship to Storm and his use of more mainstream platforms such as Coinbase.
The defense has indicated that their case, which could last up to a week, will also involve testimony from multiple experts, including “two or three doctors” and potentially a representative from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Van Loon’s testimony marks the ninth day of the trial, where Storm faces several charges, including money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitter, and conspiracy to violate US sanctions due to his involvement with Tornado Cash.
Notably, Van Loon has also been a party to a lawsuit against the US Treasury, challenging sanctions imposed on Tornado Cash’s smart contract addresses.
As the defense prepares to wrap up its case within the next two weeks, Storm’s legal team filed a motion requesting that the judge clarify jury instructions regarding Tornado Cash and the Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacking entity. If convicted, Storm could face several years in prison.
Judge Katherine Failla has expressed awareness of the severity of the charges in other high-profile crypto cases, including that of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, sentenced to 25 years for seven felony charges. Similarly, Alexey Pertsev, another Tornado Cash co-founder, was sentenced to over five years in prison for money laundering in the Netherlands in 2024.
