by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, July 29 – Roman Storm is charged using his cryptocurrency mixed Tornado Cash to help launder money for North Korea's hackers in the Lazarus Group.
On September 6, 2023 he was arraigned before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Katherine Polk Failla. Inner City Press was there - thread
The US on July 9, 2025 filed opposition - just as in the Samouri Wallet case a letter from Senator Lummis and Wyden that cites theTornado Cash case, letter now on Patreon, with Samouri story, here.
On July 11 Inner City Press live tweeted a conference in which the US said Witness-1 only began speaking to them on July 3 and is seeking sentence reduction under Rule 35. Judge Failla will let Witness-1 testifying, but expressed doubts on venue. Thread.
On July 14 Inner City Press live tweeted jury selection.
Crypto Tornado book 1 here
On July 25 there were no witnesses - possible immunity for Tom Schmidt was still an open question, and during the argument the AUSA said they are still mulling DragonFly. Then the AUSA asked to seal what he had just said, and Judge Failla granted it. But it was already public - Inner City Press had live tweeted it.
There were reactions and an attempt to walk it back. So on July 29 Inner City Press requested, first by email then in ECF, to unseal the transcript:
On July 29 there was a discussion in open court about Tom Schmidt of Dragonfly, on the defense's witness list, and the Fifth Amendment. After several exchanges, AUSA Rehn said the transcript should be sealed. And so it has been - in such a way that even the basis for sealing has been sealed. This is a request, on behalf of Inner City Press and in my personal capacity, to unseal that transcript. As for example the Second Circuit ruled yesterday in Lee v. Greenwood, 23-7432 (Ramos), sealing must be justified by “specific, on-the-record findings that sealing is necessary to preserve higher values."
Full filing on PACER and here.
More on X for Subscribers here and Substack here
The case is USA v. Storm, et al., 1:23-cr-430 (Failla)
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