US prosecutors expect to close case against Roman Storm by July 25

US Attorneys in New York’s Southern District continued presenting their case against Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm, expected to last about a month.

According to reporting from Inner City Press inside the courtroom on Thursday, Assistant US Attorney Thane Rehn said the prosecution expected to close its case against Storm by the end of next week, leading to the Tornado Cash co-founder’s lawyers calling their own witnesses.

Storm said he expected the trial to last “3-4 weeks due to complex legal arguments and unforeseen witnesses and evidence.”

The prosecution launched its case this week by offering testimony from a variety of witnesses, including individuals connected with hackers who allegedly used Tornado Cash to launder funds. On Thursday, the court heard testimony from FBI employees, including a forensic accountant and a special agent who searched Storm’s home near Seattle.

Storm faces charges of money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter and conspiracy to violate US sanctions related to his role at the crypto mixing service, which he founded with Alexey Pertsev and Roman Semenov in 2019. He could serve years in prison if found guilty on all counts.

Related: What you need to know about Roman Storm’s Tornado Cash trial

What will Roman Storm’s defense look like?

Following the prosecution’s expectation to close its case by July 25, Storm’s attorneys have already offered indications of what they will present in court as a defense strategy. Before the trial began, Storm said in an interview that he wasn’t sure whether his legal team would have him take the stand in his defense.

In a Thursday filing, Storm’s lawyers suggested that at least one of their witnesses could offer testimony that included references to high-profile kidnappings of crypto users, as evidence that privacy services like Tornado Cash were necessary.

“The fact that there have been numerous high-profile incidents of criminals seeking to obtain individuals’ cryptocurrency does not in any way suggest that the jury should acquit Mr. Storm out of sympathy for the victims of these crimes,” said his legal team. “Again, one of the key reasons for cryptocurrency privacy is to protect its users from criminals preying on them.”

The prosecution is seeking to preclude any testimony on kidnapping and torture, but the judge overseeing the case had not issued a ruling at the time of publication.

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