The jury will now decide the fate of Roman Storm, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, after the prosecution and defense delivered their closing arguments on Wednesday.

Closing arguments are a phase of the trial where both sides summarize the case before the judge or jury, present their viewpoints, and make a final persuasive effort before the fact-finders begin deliberation.

Storm is on trial in the Southern District of New York, and this case could set a precedent for how much responsibility developers bear for decentralized software that is used illegally.

U.S. prosecutors have charged Storm with conspiracy to commit money laundering, violating U.S. sanctions, and operating an unlicensed money transfer business. If convicted, Storm could face up to 40 years in prison.

The judge has issued final instructions to the jury, which is now ready to begin deliberation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gianforti, who has experience in cryptocurrency crimes, argued that Storm is a conspirator in "hiding dirty money," running an "illegal money transfer business," and violating sanctions against North Korea and the Lazarus Group.

In his closing argument, Gianforti claimed that Tornado Cash was used after significant security breaches, such as the KuCoin hack and the Ronin hack, stating that the mixing platform transferred $350 million from sanctioned Lazarus wallets after the sanctions were announced.

According to Inner City Press, Gianforti said, "This is a simple story. Tornado Cash is a fancy online money laundering tool. This business is about providing privacy for criminals. I urge you to use common sense. Roman Storm is guilty. Thank you."

David Patton, a lawyer for Storm's defense team, argued that Tornado Cash, like many other technological products, is useful to both criminals and ordinary citizens.

Intent is a key focus of Patton's argument, who stated, "It is not enough to simply know that criminals use the product. You must intentionally help the criminals. Roman's intent is completely the opposite. From the U.S. closing arguments, you would think that knowledge alone is sufficient."

Patton contended that Storm did not want hackers to use Tornado Cash and did not celebrate when they learned that North Korean hackers were using it. Patton said, "This is not a civil negligence case. There must be intentional intent, and that is well-founded."

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Original: “Tornado Cash co-founder faces jury trial after closing arguments”

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