In the latest development in the ongoing trial of Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Sturm, the presiding judge has postponed the long-awaited trial until April 2025. This decision will see money laundering and sanctions violation charges against the cryptocurrency developer continue until at least the next five months.
Mandamus Petition’s trial is still set for November 12
On Friday, November 1, Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in a conference call to postpone the Tornado Cash Storm case until April 14, 2025. This ruling postpones the trial by four days and months from the previously scheduled start date in December.
This four-month delay is expected to help prosecutors and defense attorneys resolve their differences over the disclosure of expert witnesses. This conflict began after Judge Failla ordered both sides to exchange information about expert witnesses who might be asked to testify at trial.
According to October 14, he filed a lawsuitStorm’s attorneys — led by Brian Klein — disagreed with the New York judge’s order, arguing that such disclosure would expose the defense strategy and could hinder the defendant’s case. Klein also argued that the defense is not legally obligated to disclose information about its expert witnesses unless they request it from the prosecution.
In an effort to overturn Judge Failla’s order, Storm’s legal team filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. For context, a mandamus petition refers to a formal request in which a party asks a higher court to direct a lower court or official to fulfill a duty or refrain from taking an action. A hearing on the petition filed by Storm’s attorneys is scheduled for November 12.
Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, faces three charges in the ongoing trial, including conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit sanctions violations, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business. The cryptocurrency co-founder faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of all charges.
Is Tornado Cash’s Semenov still at large?
Storm pleaded not guilty to all three charges and was released on $2 million bond after his arrest in 2023. Roman Semenov, co-founder of Tornado Cash, has remained on the run ever since and has been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Investigation (FBI). Meanwhile, the third co-founder Alexei Burtsev is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in the Netherlands on similar charges.
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