Tornado Cash Retrial Delayed as Chainalysis's Involvement Comes Under Scrutiny

Roman Storm's retrial for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business using Tornado Cash has been delayed until April 26, 2027. The initial trial ended in August 2025 with a conviction on one count and a hung jury on two more serious charges.

The government plans to retry Storm on the counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions law, which prosecutors argue Tornado Cash moved over $1 billion for hackers and other criminals.

Chainalysis, the blockchain analytics firm that helped build the case against Storm, has emerged as a key player in the retrial. Court filings reveal that Chainalysis operated a relayer node for Tornado Cash in 2022, earning fees from user withdrawals. However, prosecutors claimed there was 'zero evidence' that Storm knew about it.

The delay pushes the case past a shift in the Justice Department's public position on crypto prosecutions. In April 2026, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that developers who write code and are not committing crimes would not be investigated or charged.