The Blockchain Association, a prominent crypto advocacy group, is showing support for the two developers of mixing service Tornado Cash in their legal battle against the United States.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Tornado Cash founders Roman Storm and Roman Semenov with aiding the North Korean hacking group Lazarus in laundering illicit funds through the mixing service.
Last week, lawyers for Storm pushed to have the case dropped, arguing that the developer simply created decentralized software solutions to “provide financial privacy to legitimate cryptocurrency users,” which is technically not a crime.
Now, the Blockchain Association is filing an amicus brief in support of Roman Storm and the government’s prosecution of the two founders
“Today, Blockchain Association filed an amicus brief in United States v. Storm, highlighting a critical flaw in the government’s prosecution of Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Roman Semenov.
The indictment’s portrayal of the government’s money-transmitter charges lacks substance, primarily because the indictment fails to allege facts demonstrating the defendants’ or Tornado Cash’s control over the funds at issue.”
An amicus brief is a legal document filed in an appellate court by a non-involved party in a case. Written by “friends of the court,” the briefs aim to contain additional information or arguments to assist the court in making its decision.
Says Blockchain Association Head of Legal Marisa Coppel of the case:
“Adoption of the government’s legal theory would not only have adverse repercussions for the digital asset industry but also raise serious concerns regarding fintech more generally. We urge the court to hold the government up to its burden and dismiss the unfounded charges, safeguarding both the defendants’ rights and the integrity of the burgeoning digital asset sector.”
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