Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin urges leniency for Tornado Cash developer ahead of sentencing

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has called for leniency in the sentencing of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, arguing that prosecutors are targeting software creation rather than demonstrable financial harm.

Summary

• Buterin urged a lighter sentence for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
• Privacy tools like Tornado Cash serve lawful purposes and that publishing open-source code should be protected under the First Amendment, cautioning against criminalizing authorship, he says.
• Storm’s legal defense, backed by Buterin and the Ethereum Foundation, raised over $6.3 million.

Storm, who was convicted in August on a money-transmitting conspiracy charge, faces a potential sentence of up to five years. He remains free on bail pending sentencing.

According to ETH News, citign a letter published Friday, January 9, Buterin described privacy-preserving software as a necessary response to data exploitation, cybercrime, and surveillance. He stated that he has used tools like Tornado Cash for lawful purposes, including purchasing technical tools and supporting human rights charities, without creating permanent records across corporate or government databases.

Buterin supported the defense’s legal argument that publishing open-source code constitutes protected speech under the First Amendment. He contended that the case risks redefining software development as a criminal act when third parties misuse code, an approach that targets authorship rather than intent or direct harm.

The letter also addressed Storm’s character, describing him as a principled developer whose applications continued to function long after active development stopped. Buterin characterized this outcome as more honorable than much contemporary consumer technology, emphasizing durability and integrity over growth or monetization.

Buterin confirmed personal donations to Storm’s legal defense fund, alongside significant contributions from the Ethereum Foundation. The fund raised more than $6.3 million in 2025, according to the letter.

U.S. authorities alleged that Tornado Cash facilitated the laundering of more than $1 billion in illicit funds, including proceeds linked to North Korean hackers.

The case has drawn attention within the developer community. Tornado Cash co-founder Alexey Pertsev received a 64-month sentence in a separate Dutch proceeding and was later released under electronic monitoring while appealing. For many developers, Storm’s sentencing represents a test of where responsibility for open-source code begins and ends, according to industry observers.