Ethereum Community Backs Developer and Tornado Cash Co-founder, Calls for Trump’s Assistance
The cryptocurrency community breathed a sigh of relief after Trump pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht. Now, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and others in the ETH community are urging the release of Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith and Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm. As a result, the Ethereum community is now seeking Trump’s help on the matter.
Vitalik calls on Trump for help
The Ethereum community is asking the U.S. government to release Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith, Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm, and developer Alexey Pertsev. The demands were made shortly after Trump release Executive order pardoning Ross Ulbricht, who was serving a life sentence without parole for founding and running Silk Road.
Vitalik explain“No one is left behind” and calls for the release of Tornado Cash co-founders Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm.
Shortly after President Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who was serving a life sentence for operating the illegal Silk Road market, the Ethereum community called for similar clemency for its own community. Ulbricht, who had years of support from Bitcoin enthusiasts, was pardoned in light of his role in setting up a platform for trading illegal goods.
Also read: A new era for Bitcoin in America? Trump delivers on his crypto campaign promises
Meanwhile, Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith is serving a 56-month sentence after pleading guilty to sanctions violations. In 2019, he was accused of traveling to North Korea to demonstrate ways to use blockchain technology to circumvent sanctions.
Another key figure in the crypto space, Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm, faces charges related to money laundering and sanctions violations related to his work on the crypto platform.
Storm has sought to have the charges dismissed, claiming they violate his First Amendment rights, and his trial has been delayed. His recent social media posts discussing his legal challenges have attracted widespread attention, with many in the field reaching out to figures like Trump and Elon Musk for support.
Rome calls prosecution ‘horrible criminalization of privacy’
Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, said his legal problems pose a serious threat to privacy. He was arrested in August 2023 and will stand trial in April 2025 on money laundering and other charges. The case raised concerns about treating software development as a crime, leading another developer to sue the Justice Department.
A recent court ruling ordered Tornado Cash to be removed from the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list, recognizing that smart contracts operate independently. This ruling demonstrates the need to update the law to better deal with technology such as cryptocurrency mixers without affecting their operation.
Buterin said: “You created Tornado in large part because I thought it was something worth building. It would be a violation of basic honor for me to do so and not be able to support you in your time of need. In Ethereum , we protect our interests and protect our honor.”
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said authorities should focus on hunting down real criminals rather than targeting developers.
