Hacking Victims: "Tornado Cash (TORN) Provided No Substantial Help"

As the second day of Roman Storm (Roman Storm), co-founder of Tornado Cash (TORN),'s criminal trial progressed, victims testified that Tornado Cash did not provide substantial assistance in recovering funds stolen by hackers.

On the 16th (local time), according to cryptocurrency-focused media outlet CoinDesk, U.S. prosecutors claimed that Storm failed to take measures to prevent Tornado Cash from being used for criminal purposes.

In response, Storm's defense attorney argued, "Tornado Cash is a decentralized protocol with limitations on any individual's ability to control or intervene with it."

Three government witnesses who appeared in court that day testified that after their funds were stolen through hacking or fraud, they requested cooperation from Tornado Cash but did not receive meaningful help.

In particular, Andy Ho, co-founder and CTO of Sky Mavis, testified that in 2022, the North Korean hacking group Lazarus stole more than $600 million by hacking the Ronin Bridge, and subsequently laundered part of these funds through Tornado Cash.

This trial may become an important precedent regarding the limitations of decentralized technologies and the legal responsibility of their founders.