- Tornado Cash co-founder has requested trial postponement.
- The developerโs trial was scheduled to begin in September.
- The development marks Stormโs first request for trial date adjournment.
Lawyers representing Tornado Cash developer, Roman Storm, filed an opposed request Friday asking the court to push his trial date to next year.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Storm and Russian national Roman Semenov last year with operating a crypto mixer Tornado Cash and laundering over $1 billion for criminal actors like the Lazarus Group.
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Stormโs trial date is set to begin on September 23, 2024.
Roma Storm Requests Trial Postponement
On July 5, a court holiday in the U.S., Roman Stormโs lawyers wrote to Judge Failla, asking for additional time to review evidence and prepare for defense.
โWe write on behalf of our client Roman Storm to respectfully request that the Court grant a continuance of the trial date from September 23, 2024 to late January or February 2025. The letter read. โThe defense has been preparing diligently for trial; however, to ensure Mr. Storm has a fair trial, an adjournment to early 2025 is necessary.โ
The lawyers cited various complexities that required more time, including document translation and intricate legal arguments scheduled on July 12. These include motions to dismiss, suppress, and compel, in addition to further discovery productions.
The court is expected to address this request in an upcoming hearing, where the outcome will decide whether Stormโs trial will proceed as planned or the attorneys will get additional time to ramp up defense.
Storm faces similar charges brought against fellow Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev, who was convicted in May by a Dutch court for laundering money through the crypto mixer.
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