Ex-intelligence officer Edward Snowden, known for leaking NSA secrets, has called for support of a legal fund for Tornado Cash founders Roman Semenov and Alexey Pertsev, who face charges in the US. The campaign has raised over $350,000 to date.
In August 2022, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Tornado Cash, a crypto mixing service allegedly used to launder over $7 billion since its inception. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has since charged its founders, Roman Storm, Roman Semenov, and Alexey Pertsev, with money laundering and sanctions violations.
Storm is currently under house arrest in Washington State facing serious charges, including money laundering and sanctions violations, with his trial expected this year. Semenov is also facing similar accusations but has not been arrested yet.
The DoJ claims that Tornado Cash’s service, which aims to anonymize wallet addresses and provide sender and receiver anonymity, has moved over $7 billion in crypto. Snowden has amplified Storm’s plea for donations to the legal fund, emphasizing that “privacy is not a crime.”
Snowden’s support is significant for the legal fund, which has already amassed substantial donations. With high-profile endorsements, the fund is expected to grow rapidly, potentially reaching $500,000.