US Prosecutors Push for October Retrial of Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm

11-Mar-2026 Crypto News Australia
  • US prosecutors have asked a federal court to set an October retrial for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm after a jury deadlocked on two charges in his earlier trial.
  • Storm was convicted of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business but jurors could not agree on money-laundering and sanctions conspiracy counts.
  • Storm criticised the retrial push, arguing authorities are attempting to criminalise writing open-source code.

US prosecutors have moved to schedule a retrial for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm after two charges in his previous case ended without a verdict. In a letter filed in the Southern District of New York, officials asked the court to set a new trial for October.

Storm helped create Tornado Cash, a crypto mixing protocol designed to conceal the origins and destinations of blockchain transactions. The software operates through smart contracts on the Ethereum network rather than a centralised service provider.

During Storm’s first trial in August, a jury delivered a partial decision. He was found guilty of conspiracy to run an unlicensed money-transmitting business connected to the protocol. However, jurors could not reach unanimous decisions on allegations of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions laws. Prosecutors are now seeking a second trial to resolve those remaining charges.

Related: Ethereum’s 2026 “Hegota” Upgrade Aims to Hardwire Censorship Resistance with FOCIL

Deadlock on Key Allegations

In their filing, prosecutors argued that establishing a trial date in advance would help avoid unnecessary delays in the case. They proposed beginning the proceedings in early or mid-October and estimated the trial would last approximately three weeks. The request comes as Storm’s defence team continues to pursue a motion seeking to overturn his conviction on the unlicensed money-transmitting charge, with arguments scheduled for 9 April.

Storm remains free on bail as the case continues. In a post on X, he said the earlier jury heard four weeks of evidence before failing to agree on the two most serious accusations. “The government’s response? Try again to make writing code a crime,” he wrote.

Related: Strategy Buys 17,994 BTC for $1.28B, Lifting Total Holdings to 738,731 Bitcoin

The post US Prosecutors Push for October Retrial of Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm appeared first on Crypto News Australia.

Also read: Is Bitcoin Forming a Base Below $60,000? Key Signals to Watch
About Author Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc fermentum lectus eget interdum varius. Curabitur ut nibh vel velit cursus molestie. Cras sed sagittis erat. Nullam id ante hendrerit, lobortis justo ac, fermentum neque. Mauris egestas maximus tortor. Nunc non neque a quam sollicitudin facilisis. Maecenas posuere turpis arcu, vel tempor ipsum tincidunt ut.
WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?
Related News