Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin appeals for Tornado Cash developer as sentencing looms

Vitalik Buterin has stepped into one of the most consequential legal battles in crypto, as sentencing approaches for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.

The Ethereum co-founder’s appeal comes at a moment when the industry is grappling with the boundaries between software development, privacy, and criminal liability.

Storm, a key developer behind the crypto mixer Tornado Cash, was convicted in the United States of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

While jurors failed to reach verdicts on more serious money laundering and sanctions-related charges, the conviction still carries the possibility of years in prison.

Storm remains free on bail, but his sentencing now looms as a pivotal moment for both his future and the broader crypto ecosystem.

Against this backdrop, Buterin has chosen to speak publicly and forcefully.

He argues that the case represents a dangerous precedent that risks criminalising the act of writing open-source code.

Buterin’s message is not only about one developer, but about the long-term consequences for innovation and privacy in digital systems.

Vitalik Buterin’s public appeal grounded in principle

Buterin published an open letter calling for leniency and understanding in Storm’s case.

He later reposted the full letter on X to ensure it reached a wider public audience.