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Justice for Roman Storm? – Why DoJ’s new stance reignited debate
The recent remarks by Mathew Galeotti, acting head of the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) criminal division, have sparked an intense debate in the crypto community. Galeotti stated that developers of neutral tools with no criminal intent should not be held responsible for someone else’s misuse of those tools, if a third-party’s misuse violates criminal law. This new stance has reignited the call for justice for Roman Storm, founder of crypto mixer Tornado Cash.
Storm was found guilty under the U.S. Code 1960(b)(1)(c), which bans unlicensed money transmitters from handling funds from crime or intended for illegal activities. However, with Galeotti’s clarification that the DoJ will not approve such charges against developers, especially for fully decentralized protocols, many are now questioning whether Storm should still face up to 5 years in jail.
Crypto legal experts have taken a strong stance on the matter, with Jake Chervinsky, legal chief at crypto VC Variant Fund, stating that the case against Storm should be dropped if based on the latest DoJ stance. “Roman Storm was just convicted on this exact charge under this exact circumstance. Justice for Roman means dropping the case,” Chervinsky emphasized.
Coinbase’s legal chief, Paul Grewal, also echoed a similar sentiment, further fueling the debate. The community is now eagerly waiting to see if the government will defend its verdict in the appeal or reconsider its stance on Storm’s conviction.
The controversy has brought into sharp focus the need for clarity on the regulatory landscape, particularly regarding decentralized software (DeFi) developers. Galeotti’s statement raises more questions than answers and highlights the importance of transparency in legal proceedings.
Source: ambcrypto.com
