Ethereum Foundation donates $500,000 to Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm's defense ahead of July trial

The Ethereum Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to support Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm's defense as his trial quickly approaches.

In a post on X on Friday, the foundation, which supports the Ethereum ecosystem, stated that it had donated the funds and would match "up to a further $750K in donations from the community."

"Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime," the foundation commented in the post.

Storm is raising money for his defense ahead of his upcoming trial on July 14 in New York and has set a goal of $2 million, according to a post on X. In 2023, Storm was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and sanctions violations for operating Tornado Cash. He has attempted to dismiss the charges, citing First Amendment violations, and his trial was later postponed. Regarding Tornado Cash, the Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the mixer in 2022, which was later lifted in March of this year.

Under the Trump administration, U.S. prosecutors announced in May they would drop a part of Storm's charges related to an allegation of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. However, they indicated plans to proceed with charges related to money laundering, some connected to unlicensed money transmitting, and another charge concerning a conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Earlier on Friday, Storm appealed for support ahead of his trial. "If I lose, DeFi dies with me," Storm stated in a post on X. "The dream of financial freedom, the code I believed in — it all fades into darkness."

The Block reached out to Storm for comment.