The DeFi Education Fund, a leading crypto advocacy group, has formally petitioned the Trump campaign to intervene in what it describes as the unjust criminalization of open-source blockchain developers. In an open letter dated April 28, the group specifically called for action to halt the prosecution of Roman Storm, co-founder of the privacy protocol Tornado Cash.
Addressed to David Sacks, Trump’s newly appointed crypto policy advisor, the letter urged former President Trump to end what the group labeled the “lawless campaign” initiated under the Biden administration’s Department of Justice. The DeFi Education Fund argued that targeting developers for merely writing code — without direct evidence of criminal intent — threatens the future of innovation and personal freedoms in the digital economy.
Roman Storm was indicted in August 2023 on charges related to allegedly facilitating over $1 billion in illicit transactions through Tornado Cash. His trial is scheduled to begin in July. Meanwhile, his co-founder Roman Semenov, who also faces charges, remains at large and is believed to be residing in Russia.
The petition reflects growing anxiety within the crypto industry that prosecuting developers for the misuse of open-source tools could set a dangerous precedent, chilling technological advancement and driving crypto development offshore.
Crypto Advocates Warn of Dangerous Precedent in Tornado Cash Case
In its appeal to the Trump camp, the DeFi Education Fund argued that the Department of Justice’s prosecution of Roman Storm represents a dangerous overreach that could have far-reaching consequences for the entire crypto industry. The group criticized the attempt to hold developers criminally liable for how others use their code, calling it “absurd in principle” and warning that it risks stifling open-source innovation across the United States.
The advocacy group also pointed out that the prosecution contradicts prior guidance issued by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) during Trump’s first term. That guidance explicitly stated that developers who build self-custodial, peer-to-peer crypto protocols are not classified as money transmitters under U.S. law.
Adding to the legal complexity, a federal court in Texas ruled earlier this year that the Treasury Department had overstepped its authority by sanctioning Tornado Cash — a decision that has fueled further calls for a reconsideration of the broader government approach toward crypto development.
At the time of writing, the petition had collected 232 signatures from a broad cross-section of industry leaders, including Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam, Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang, and Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko. Their unified stance signals that the outcome of the Tornado Cash case could set a critical precedent for the future of open-source development and innovation in the U.S.
Quick Facts
- The DeFi Education Fund has petitioned Donald Trump to intervene in the prosecution of Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm.
- The group argues that criminalizing developers for open-source code creation could severely harm blockchain innovation in the U.S.
- Roman Storm faces trial in July 2024 for allegedly facilitating over $1 billion in illicit transactions.
- The petition highlights growing fears that aggressive prosecutions could drive crypto development offshore.
