Federal prosecutors have invoked a recent appeals court ruling on the Bitcoin Fog case to strengthen their opposition to Roman Storm's bid for acquittal. In a Monday filing, they cited a September 25 ruling that upheld the convictions of Bitcoin Fog operator Roman Sterlingov. The court determined that venue in Washington, D.C., was appropriate for all charges, including money laundering and unlicensed money transmission, based on evidence of transactions conducted from D.C.
The prosecutors argue that this ruling directly supports their case against Storm, the developer of Tornado Cash. They claim that activity related to Tornado Cash in Manhattan is sufficient to establish venue in the Southern District of New York for Storm’s charges of money laundering and unlicensed money transmission. They pointed to testimony from Shakeeb Ahmed, who admitted to using Tornado Cash from his Manhattan apartment.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla heard arguments on Storm’s acquittal motion in April 2026 but has yet to rule. A retrial on the money-laundering and sanctions conspiracy counts, which the jury deadlocked on, is scheduled for April 26, 2027. Storm was convicted in August 2025 of conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business but acquitted on other charges. He filed his acquittal motion in September 2025, arguing that prosecutors failed to prove his intent to help criminals misuse Tornado Cash.
Storm criticized the DOJ’s filing on X, stating, 'The DOJ is still coming after me with everything it has.' He also highlighted the Treasury Department’s decision to withdraw its proposed crypto-mixer rule, suggesting conflicting government approaches to crypto privacy tools.