US President Donald Trump has been asked to stop persecuting developers of open-source software based on blockchain technology.
Organization DeFi The Education Fund, a lobby group that advocates for the digital asset industry, has sent a letter to Trump-appointed crypto czar David Sachs calling for an immediate end to former US President Joe Biden’s campaign to criminalize open-source software development, which has harmed people like Roman Shtorm, who developed the software for the crypto mixer Tornado Cash.
Storm was accused of facilitating the laundering of over $1 billion in digital assets, making him responsible for the crimes committed by others who used the code he wrote. Members DeFi The Education Fund considers this an absurd and harmful practice.
Such a legal environment not only slows down innovation, it freezes it, allows for politically motivated pressure, and puts every developer at risk, regardless of the field in which they work.
We ask President Trump to protect the creators of American software, clarify this legal issue, and stop the illegal abuse of power by Justice Department employees, the letter states.
Roman’s trial is set to begin on July 14 in New York. He faces up to 45 years in prison. Many members of the crypto community have spoken out in Storm’s defense, including the creator of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin donated colleague about $170,000 to cover his legal costs.
