Roman Storm's Tornado Cash Retrial Delayed to April 2027
Key Takeaways
- •U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla postponed Roman Storm’s retrial to April 26, 2027.
- •The court is still weighing Storm’s motion for acquittal on his existing conviction.
- •Storm was convicted in August 2025 on a conspiracy charge tied to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
- •Jurors did not reach unanimous verdicts on money laundering and U.S. sanctions charges, which are set for retrial.
- •A final pretrial conference is scheduled for April 20, 2027, with expert disclosures beginning in February.
A U.S. federal judge has postponed the retrial of Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm until April 26, 2027, prolonging a legal battle that could shape how U.S. authorities treat developers of privacy-focused cryptocurrency software.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla ordered the delay on Aug. 25, as the court continues to weigh Storm's pending motion seeking acquittal. His defense team had requested additional time, while prosecutors had previously pushed for a retrial in October 2026.
Under the revised schedule, a final pretrial conference is set for April 20, 2027, with expert disclosures beginning in February, giving both sides additional time to prepare.
The Charges Still Facing Storm
Storm went to trial in 2025 over his role in developing Tornado Cash, an Ethereum-based privacy protocol that prosecutors alleged helped facilitate the movement of illicit funds.
A Manhattan jury convicted him in August 2025 on a conspiracy charge involving the operation of an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Jurors, however, could not reach unanimous verdicts on allegations involving money laundering and violations of U.S. sanctions.
Those two unresolved charges form the basis for the planned retrial. Each carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years, giving the case significant stakes for Storm and the broader crypto industry.
A Broader Test for Crypto Privacy
Storm has also challenged his existing conviction through a motion for acquittal. The court heard arguments on that motion in April 2026 but has not yet issued a ruling.
The case has drawn close attention from privacy advocates and crypto developers because it raises questions about when software creators can face criminal liability for how users deploy decentralized protocols. For the industry, the long-running timeline also means the legal uncertainty around Tornado Cash will remain in place through another round of pretrial proceedings, with the court’s pending ruling still able to affect whether the April 2027 retrial moves forward as scheduled.
For now, Storm's legal fight will remain unresolved well into 2027. The April trial date could still change depending on the court's ruling on his acquittal motion.
