The Solana Policy Institute has donated $500,000 to the legal defense of both Tornado Cash software developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev after they were found guilty of crimes linked to the crypto mixer and now face prison time.
Pertsev appealed his conviction in May 2024. Storm, who was found guilty earlier this month on a money transmitting charge, is expected to file post-trial motions to overturn that conviction, according to an Aug. 11 filing.
“These prosecutions continue to set a chilling precedent that threatens the software development industry,” said Solana Policy Institute CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine in a blog post on Thursday. “If the government can prosecute developers for creating neutral tools that others misuse, it fundamentally changes developers’ risk calculus. Why would programmers build groundbreaking software if they might face criminal charges?”
Pertsev was sentenced to 64 months in prison by a Dutch court for facilitating $1.2 billion in money laundering through the crypto mixer between July 2019 and August 2022. Over a year later, Storm was found guilty in a New York court of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on money laundering and sanctions charges.
In the U.S., prosecutors’ stance on software developers has since shifted under the Trump administration. Last week, Matthew J Galeotti, acting assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said that “writing code” is not a crime. Whitehouse-Levine said SPI looked forward to that statement being put into action.
“Until then, we will continue to stand with Storm and Pertsev and appreciate the efforts of everyone in the crypto industry advocating for them,” Whitehouse-Levine said.
The Solana Policy Institute also signed onto a letter on Wednesday with over 100 other crypto entities urging lawmakers to protect software developers as they deliberate how the digital asset industry is regulated.
© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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