Roman Storm is the co-founder of Tornado Cash, a privacy-focused Ethereum mixing service. He is known for his involvement in the development of decentralized finance (DeFi) technologies and for facing federal charges related to his role in Tornado Cash.

Education

Between 2006 and 2008, Roman Storm was enrolled at South Ural State University (SUSU), where he pursued coursework in Metallurgical Engineering. His academic focus included core scientific disciplines such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics. In parallel with his formal studies, he engaged in programming, reflecting an early involvement with technical and computational subjects. ^[6]

Career

Roman Storm began his career in the technology sector in 2009 as a Quality Assurance Engineer at Cisco, where he tested Java-based web applications for configuring network routers. He later held QA positions at OxygenCloud and Betfair, where he developed automated testing frameworks and participated in large-scale software testing initiatives across multiple platforms, which served as a basis for later work with blockchain technology.

Transitioning into software development roles, Storm worked as a full-stack engineer at Marketron and later as a Software Architect at Vault12, where he contributed to the development of a mobile Bitcoin wallet focused on security. He subsequently joined UserTesting as a Senior Software Engineer, where he developed a Chrome extension that integrated screen recording and user feedback functionalities.

In 2017, Storm joined Amazon as a Software Engineer and later moved into the blockchain space. He served as Chief Technology Officer at POA Network from November 2017 to September 2018, where he bootstrapped and launched several decentralized applications and tools, including bridge contracts and consensus mechanisms, processing over $150 million in transactions across more than 100,000 users.

In September 2018, Storm co-founded PepperSec Inc., a security auditing and custom blockchain development firm. Through PepperSec, he contributed to multiple decentralized finance (DeFi) projects including Aave, 0x, 1inch, dYdX, Compound, and MakerDAO. His work involved writing smart contracts in Solidity, conducting security audits, and developing decentralized applications using React.js and Vue.js.

While working at PepperSec, Storm became increasingly engaged with privacy-preserving technologies in blockchain. In 2019, he co-founded Tornado Cash alongside Alexey Pertsev and Roman Semenov. Tornado Cash was launched as a privacy tool on the Ethereum blockchain, enabling users to obfuscate the origin and destination of cryptocurrency transactions through a system of pooled deposits and withdrawals. In May 2020, the protocol was made immutable through a change in its underlying code, though the founders retained control over the web interface, which remained the primary access point for users. Tornado Cash also introduced the TORN governance token, which was tied to the usage of the platform.

Before co-founding Tornado Cash, Storm worked briefly at Blockchainlabs.nz, where he developed and audited ICO smart contracts and contributed to several token sale projects. Throughout his career, he has maintained a presence in the open-source community, contributing to public repositories and receiving endorsements from notable blockchain developers. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Legal Issues

Roman Storm has been embroiled in legal proceedings since August 2023, when U.S. authorities arrested him and charged him with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to violate sanctions, and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. These charges stem from his role in creating Tornado Cash, which prosecutors allege was used to launder over $1 billion in criminal proceeds between 2019 and 2022, including funds for the Lazarus Group, a North Korea-sponsored cybercrime organization. The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) initially sanctioned Tornado Cash in August 2022, alleging it was used to launder billions, including $455 million by the Lazarus Group.

Storm's co-founder, Alexey Pertsev, was arrested by Dutch authorities two days after the OFAC sanctions in August 2022. Pertsev was found guilty of money laundering in the Netherlands in 2024 and sentenced to over five years in prison, a verdict he is currently appealing. The third co-founder, Roman Semenov, remains at large and is on the FBI's wanted list.

Storm's trial began on July 14, 2025, in the Southern District of New York. He faces a potential sentence of over 40 years if convicted. His defense argues that Tornado Cash is a decentralized and immutable protocol that he no longer controlled, and that writing and publishing open-source code is a form of free speech protected under the First Amendment. They contend that Storm merely wrote and published code and did not operate a business, offer a service, or manage customers. The defense also cites a 2019 Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) guidance that stated developers of anonymizing software were not required to register as money transmitters.

Prosecutors, however, distinguish between Tornado Cash's immutable smart contracts and its user-facing interface. They allege that Storm and his co-founders paid for U.S.-based web hosting and maintained a website that allowed users to interact with the protocol, claiming the developers retained the ability to modify the user interface. The prosecution's indictment asserts that Storm knowingly facilitated money laundering beyond just coding, and that he profited from the illicit use of the service.

A significant development in the case occurred in March 2025 when the OFAC sanctions against Tornado Cash were reversed following a civil challenge in Van Loon v. Department of the Treasury. The Fifth Circuit Court ruled that Tornado Cash's immutable smart contracts were not "property" subject to U.S. sanctions. Judge Katherine Failla, presiding over Storm's case, indicated an inclination to exclude the 2022 sanctions from the trial. Despite a shift in the U.S. administration's stance on crypto enforcement, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) deprioritizing certain crypto prosecutions, the criminal case against Storm has continued.

The outcome of Storm's trial is viewed by many in the crypto community as a critical precedent for the future of decentralized finance (DeFi) and the legal treatment of open-source software developers globally. Storm himself has stated, "If I lose my case, DeFi dies with me," emphasizing the broader implications for financial privacy and freedom of expression in the digital age. ^{[1] [3] [2] [4]}

Advocacy and Support

The crypto community has shown significant support for Roman Storm, viewing his legal battle as a defense of fundamental freedoms. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly donated $170,000 to Storm's legal defense fund. Additionally, several prominent organizations have filed amicus briefs in his defense, including the Blockchain Association, Coin Center, the DeFi Education Fund, Paradigm, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. These organizations argue that prosecuting open-source software developers for the actions of users of their code could have a chilling effect on innovation.

Storm's legal team, led by Brian Klein of Waymaker LLP and David Patton of Hecker Fink LLP, has been actively raising funds for his defense. As of July 2025, over $2.5 million in Ethereum-backed cryptocurrency has been donated for the legal defense of Storm and Alexey Pertsev, with fundraising efforts supported by the Ethereum Foundation and Paradigm. ^{[2] [1] [4]}

Interviews

Crypto In America #01

On July 2, 2025, Roman Storm participated in an interview with the Crypto In America channel, where he discussed his personal background, professional journey, and legal situation related to the Tornado Cash protocol. At the time of the interview, Storm was preparing for a federal trial in the United States, facing charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, violations of economic sanctions, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. According to information shared during the interview, a conviction could result in a prison sentence exceeding 40 years.

Storm described his background as a self-taught software engineer and his immigration from Russia to the United States. He stated that Tornado Cash was developed to address privacy limitations on the Ethereum blockchain. He emphasized that the protocol was designed to be decentralized, open-source, and non-custodial, with no central authority or ability to control user funds. Storm asserted that he had no involvement with illicit activities, nor did he have contact with criminal organizations or profit from transactions conducted through the platform.

The interview also addressed regulatory challenges. Storm referenced sanctions imposed by the U.S. government on Tornado Cash and cited a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals which, according to his account, recognized that the protocol operates without centralized control, raising questions about the applicability of conventional sanctions. He expressed concerns about the broader implications of such enforcement actions for developers working on open-source decentralized technologies within the United States.

Storm also shared personal experiences related to his arrest by a SWAT team, his current status under house arrest, and the closure of his bank accounts. He stated his belief in the U.S. judicial system and argued that source code should be considered a form of expression protected under the First Amendment. He concluded by acknowledging the support he has received from members of the open-source community and stated that, if acquitted, he intends to continue working in software development. ^[5]