US Prosecutors Reject Tornado Cash Co-founder‘s Argument for Dismissal

US prosecutors, including former SEC chair Jay Clayton, have rejected Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm's motion for acquittal. They argue that Storm's alleged criminal use of Tornado Cash was not mere "window dressing" and criticize his attempt to use a civil copyright case, Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment, as a defense. Prosecutors contend that Storm's conduct is dissimilar to the copyright infringement case and that he failed to implement effective anti-money-laundering measures. Storm was convicted of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, but a jury deadlocked on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and violate sanctions, leading to a potential retrial. The case highlights concerns about developer responsibility for code. Storm's defense has cited a memo from Deputy AG Todd Blanche calling for an end to "regulation by prosecution," but prosecutors are pushing for a retrial on the deadlocked counts.

(Source：Cointelegraph)