Roman Storm’s legal team and US prosecutors have reached an agreement to extend procedural deadlines that could impact the potential retrial of the Tornado Cash co-founder on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions.
A schedule approved by Judge Katherine Failla in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) will postpone the start of any potential retrial, as per the agreement between Storm’s lawyers and the US government.
While prosecutors have not indicated whether they plan to retry Storm on the two felony charges, any scheduling related to the matter is likely to be postponed to later in 2025, surpassing the 70-day deadline following the conclusion of the initial trial.
“The Court has determined that it is in the interests of justice to extend the deadline until December 18, 2025, to allow the defense ample time to consider and prepare post-trial motions, outweighing the need for a speedy retrial for both the public and the defendant,” Failla stated.
Tuesday filing in the Roman Storm case. Source: SDNY
Following a jury’s verdict on Aug. 6, Storm was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money business in connection to his involvement with Tornado Cash, out of the three felony charges he was facing. The jury was unable to reach a decision on the remaining charges after extensive deliberation.
Storm is anticipated to be sentenced on the single count soon, although no hearing has been scheduled as of Tuesday.
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Storm was indicted in the US in August 2023 for money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter, and conspiracy to violate US sanctions. He pleaded not guilty and has been out on bail since his arraignment.
The other two co-founders of Tornado Cash, Alexey Pertsey and Roman Semenov, are facing similar legal challenges to Storm.
Semenov was indicted in SDNY alongside Storm but remains at large at present. Pertsev was convicted of money laundering in the Netherlands in 2024 and received a sentence of over five years in prison. He is currently appealing the verdict.
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