U.S. Justice Department Asks to Deny Motion for Acquittal of Tornado Cash Co-Founder

• The Ministry of Justice stated that there was enough evidence for the prosecution.
• The defense’s motion for acquittal was called unfounded.
• The judge will consider the parties’ arguments after Storm’s attorneys respond.

Federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have asked the court to deny a motion to acquit Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm. They said the evidence presented was more than enough to support his conviction on the conspiracy charge.

Storm was found partially guilty of conspiracy to engage in unlicensed money transfer activity in August 2025. However, his attorneys filed a post-trial motion arguing that the prosecution failed to prove any of the three counts in the case.

Prosecutors now insist the court should uphold the conviction.

Prosecutors said the evidence shows Storm’s active involvement in the creation and control of Tornado Cash. The document notes that he and his partners repeatedly changed the service’s interface, regulating how users could access it.

According to the prosecution, this effectively confirmed his managerial role. The prosecution said that more than 96% of users accessed Tornado Cash through this very interface.

In addition to the main charge, the defense sought acquittal on two additional episodes related to money laundering and sanctions violations. Prosecutors believe that the evidence base on these counts was also presented in full.

The U.S. Department of Justice filings emphasize that Tornado Cash was used by sanctioned entities, including cybercriminals and entities linked to North Korea. According to their version, Storm understood the possible consequences of the implemented functionality and continued to develop the service anyway.

Judge Katherine Polk Failla will make a decision after the defense presents its response.