Ban on Kidnapping Evidence in Roman Storm Tornado Cash Trial
Prosecutors in New York have moved to bar defense testimony about kidnapping, threats and torture related to cryptocurrency holdings in the Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm trial. Interim US Attorney Jay Clayton told Judge Katherine Failla that such evidence is inflammatory, prejudicial and irrelevant to Storm’s intent. Storm faces charges of money laundering, running an unlicensed money-transmitting service and breaching US sanctions. Since jury selection on Monday, prosecutors have twice objected to defense mentions of user safety and aim to limit evidence under privacy and relevance rules. Testimony so far includes a Taiwanese investor on stolen fund flows, a McDermott Will & Emery lawyer for hack victim BitMart and former associate Justin Bram on Tornado Cash’s mixing features and geo-blocking. The court’s ruling on this motion could narrow the scope of admissible evidence and set a precedent for crypto-related trials.
Neutral
This news is likely to have a neutral impact on the TORN token in the short term, as it focuses on procedural evidence issues rather than substantive legal outcomes. Traders may see volatility if the court’s ruling significantly narrows the defense’s scope, but broader market sentiment on Tornado Cash will hinge on the final verdict and regulatory developments. Over the long term, any precedent on evidence exclusion could influence future crypto trials and affect perceived legal risks around mixing services, but immediate price effects should be limited.