SPI announces $500,000 donation to Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev’s legal defense funds

By Miller Whitehouse-Levine

Solana Policy Institute announced a $500,000 donation to the legal defense funds of Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev, software developers who worked on Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency privacy protocol.

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Tornado Cash is a cryptocurrency privacy protocol that allows users to engage in self-directed and private cryptocurrency transfers. Neither Storm nor Pertsev ever took custody or control of user assets, and, after deploying the underlying protocol and giving up control over it they could not change or control who could access Tornado Cash. 

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Notwithstanding that fact, Storm was convicted in August 2025 of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. And in 2024, Pertsev was found guilty in a Dutch court of money laundering. Both men face prison time, and both are challenging their convictions; Storm will soon file post-trial motions seeking to overturn his conviction and Pertsev has appealed the decision in his case. 

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The allegations underlying these convictions are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how blockchain technology works. The governments’ logic is simple but dangerous: If you write open-source code that anyone can use—for good or for ill— you're responsible for its misuse—even without any ongoing control over, or ability to control, the code at issue. 

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These prosecutions continue to set a chilling precedent that threatens the software development industry. If the government can prosecute developers for creating neutral tools that others misuse, it fundamentally changes developers’ risk calculus. Why would programmers build groundbreaking software if they might face criminal charges? And why would investors fund startups if founders could be jailed for unforeseen applications? Other countries are aggressively competing for tech talent. These cases send a clear message: build your privacy-focused, financial, or security software tools elsewhere. 

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In a welcome development this month, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti said that "merely writing code, without ill-intent, is not a crime" and that "the Department will not use indictments as a lawmaking tool." We look forward to seeing this updated policy position translated into action across the DOJ.

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Until then, we will continue to stand with Storm and Pertsev and appreciate the efforts of everyone in the crypto industry advocating for them.

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