After four days of deliberation, the jury in the Roman Storm case informed the court that they remained deadlocked on certain charges, prompting the judge to use an Allen charge to encourage further discussion.
The Allen charge, sometimes referred to as a "dynamite charge," is a special instruction given by a judge to a deadlocked jury, urging them to re-examine their respective positions and attempt to reach a unanimous verdict.
According to Inner City Press's court report on Wednesday, Storm's attorney Brian Klein opposed the charge, arguing that the jury had clearly indicated it was unlikely to reach a unanimous verdict and urged the court to consider accepting a partial verdict.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla supported the prosecutors' position, who were more inclined to push for continued deliberation rather than accepting a partial verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thane Arad stated, "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it."
This move allowed the trial to continue, delaying a potential mistrial, but also highlighted the deep divisions within the jury on key aspects of the government's case.
Storm, co-founder of the Ethereum-based mixer Tornado Cash, is accused of conspiring to launder over $1 billion in illegal funds, including money linked to the North Korean Lazarus Group hackers. Prosecutors argue that he actively promoted the tool to criminals and ignored warnings about its misuse.
The defense claims that Storm wrote open-source code and cannot control how it is used, raising broader questions about the responsibilities of software developers in decentralized systems.
The case has significant implications for cryptocurrency developers and the boundaries of responsibility for writing decentralized software. If Storm is convicted on all charges and receives the maximum sentence, he could face up to 45 years in prison.
Related: HashFlare founder hopes to avoid more imprisonment, but U.S. prosecutors seek a 10-year sentence
Original: “Judge Urges Jury to End Roman Storm Trial After Days of Deadlock”
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