Background

In August 2022, the US authorities blacklisted Tornado Cash as a "sanctioned entity," resulting in the arrests of two developers: Alexey Pertsev (The Netherlands, 2022) and Roman Storm (The U.S., 2023). Arrests of Storm and Pertsev are considered a direct attack on the open-source development space.

In May 2024, Pertsev was found guilty of money laundering and received a max sentence of 64 months in prison. 

Roman Storm's trial in the US is scheduled for December 2024. Its outcome will set precedents for privacy in web3 and the freedom to publish code. 

How to Help

This project is fundraising for Roman Storm's defense and the associated costs in preparation for his trial. A breakdown of charges against him and the budget outline are accessible via WeWantJusticeDAO.org — the not-for-profit entity dedicated to Roman's and Alex's legal fundraising campaigns. 

Recently, Roman's legal costs have increased to ~$500k/mo, and the next few months will be crucial in completing his robust defense strategy. He currently needs approx. $2 million to see this case through.

Please contribute - your donation will have a huge impact on the future of privacy in the blockchain industry.

*This project is not owned by Roman Storm's official fundraising team. I am hosting this project through my own personal profile, I have coordinated with Roman's fundraising team to ensure descriptions and social media links are accurate and they are aware that I am running this campaign myself. I will be donating all funds gathered to this project directly to Roman's legal defense campaign.

I am currently a Product Manager on the Giveth team and am hosting this project because I personally care greatly about Roman's cause.