The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is accusing the creators of Tornado Cash, a well-known name in the world of cryptocurrency, of serious crimes. Roman Storm had asked for the charges against them to be dropped, but the court refused. So, what exactly are they being accused of?

The DOJ claims that the founders of Tornado Cash are involved in money laundering, running an unlicensed money transferring business, and breaking sanctions laws. Specifically, it is alleged that North Korea's Lazarus Group and other criminal groups used the cryptocurrency mixer to launder money. These accusations have sparked debates within the cryptocurrency community.

In Tornado Cash's marketing material, they claim to provide users with a way to send Ethereum anonymously using advanced cryptography. However, these claims are now in question due to the serious allegations they are facing.

In a recent court filing, the DOJ alleged that the project's founders and developers let go of control over the platform and defined Tornado Cash as a money transmitting service. This means they were moving fixed amounts of customer deposits, violating sanctions laws. The developers are accused of conspiring to operate this illegal service.

While Roman Storm is preparing for his court date in September 2024, co-founder and developer Semenov is still on the run from authorities. Storm was arrested by the FBI and IRS in August 2023.

The charges against the founders of Tornado Cash have sparked discussions about how the legal landscape for cryptocurrency will develop and what lies ahead for similar projects. The outcome of these debates will unfold in the coming days. The US is particularly focused on pursuing violations of sanctions laws, taking big steps to ensure ensure