The Solana Policy Institute, a non-profit Solana advocacy group, has pledged $500,000 to support the legal defense of Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev, co-founders of Tornado Cash. This significant donation contributes to the growing financial support from the crypto community for the duo’s legal battles.
Roman Storm was found guilty on August 6th of operating an unlicensed money transfer company, while Alexey Pertsev was convicted in 2024 for his involvement in developing Tornado Cash, a protocol that enabled users to mask the origin and destination of their cryptocurrency transactions.
In a statement on Thursday, the Solana Policy Institute announced that its $500,000 donation will go towards supporting Storm’s appeal, as well as Pertsev’s legal defense. The Free Roman Storm Fund has collected over $5.5 million to support his legal defense, with a goal of reaching $1.5 million. 
Ethereum Heavyweights Show Support
In July, Storm called for support, requesting $1.5 million to help with increasing legal costs. Ethereum Core developer Federico Carrone pledged $500,000 on August 11, following his arrest by Turkish authorities over a privacy protocol for Ethereum.
The Ethereum Foundation also promised to match donations of up to $500,000 to Storm’s defense fund after his conviction. The foundation had already donated $500,000 in June and pledged to match an additional $750,000 in donations from the crypto community.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has also contributed to the cause, making two donations totaling 150 ether, worth over $673,000 at current prices.
Other Community Members Donate to Support Storm
In July, Bill Warren, a developer and contributor to the Meta Cartel DAO, announced that his entire treasury would be donated to support Storm’s legal defense, although the amount was not specified.
Julian Zawistowski, founder of the Golem project, confirmed that his team also donated 50 ether in July, worth over $224,000 at current prices. 
Another significant donation came from investment firm Paradigm, which pledged $1.25 million in January. At the time, co-founder Matt Huang stated, “Holding software developers liable for the use of their product by third parties would have a chilling effect in crypto and beyond.”
The Storm Case Shifts the “Risk Calculation” for Developers
Legal experts and industry observers have condemned the convictions of the Tornado Cash developers, arguing that it sets a dangerous precedent for open-source developers and impacts user privacy.
The Solana Policy Institute argued that the allegations behind the convictions are based on a misunderstanding of how blockchain technology works. “The government’s logic is simple but dangerous: If you write open-source code that anyone can use forever or for ill, you are responsible for its abuse — even without ongoing control or the ability to check the code,” they stated.
The Blockchain Association, a lobby group for the crypto industry in Washington, made a similar statement after Storm’s conviction, saying that the judgment was “a dangerous precedent for open-source software developers.”
For more information, read the full article on Cointelegraph.
