Roman Storm Pleads for Funds as Trial Kicks Off July 14

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Roman Storm Pleads for Funds as $3.5 Million Trial Kicks Off July 14

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: July 14, 2025

Key Takeaways

Roman Storm urgently needs $500,000 and an additional $1.5 million to fund his legal defense;
He argues that his case defends coding as a form of free speech and protects developers’ rights;
Trial costs could reach $3.5 million, nearly double earlier estimates, due to new evidence.

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Roman Storm Pleads for Funds as $3.5 Million Trial Kicks Off July 14

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Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, is seeking urgent financial assistance as his trial is set to begin on July 14.

According to an X post shared on July 12, Storm said he "needs to raise $500K in the next few days".

He also mentioned that an additional $1.5 million will be required to continue paying for his legal defense.

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Storm explained that his legal team is working diligently to argue that writing code should be considered a form of free speech. He said the case is about pushing back against what he views as government actions that could harm software developers in general.

On July 11, Storm posted on X that the legal costs could reach $3.5 million, as the trial may last up to four weeks, twice as long as previously expected. He said the extension is due to complicated legal matters and new evidence that wasn’t expected.

In May, a group called Free Pertsev & Storm estimated the full cost of Storm’s trial would be around $2 million. That amount has reached about 57% of the goal at the time of writing.

Storm was taken into custody in August 2023. He is facing several charges, including money laundering, operating an illegal money service, and violating US sanctions rules. If found guilty, he could face a prison sentence of up to 45 years.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department and Coin Center agreed to end their legal dispute over Tornado Cash. What led to the decision? Read the full story.