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DOJ Pushes for Retrial of Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm

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DOJ Pushes for Retrial of Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm


US prosecutors want a retrial for Roman Storm after a jury deadlocked on money laundering and sanctions charges.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked that Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm be put on trial anew on charges of money laundering and sanctions violations.

Last year, a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the two counts after a four-week hearing in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) presided over by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.

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Storm Faces Retrial in 2026

The same jury convicted Storm of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money laundering operation, but hit a deadlock on the more serious charges. Now, as Storm revealed in an update on social media, prosecutors have asked Judge Failla to schedule a retrial in October 2026 to try to settle the unresolved points. He questioned the move, stating,

“The government’s response? Try again to make writing code a crime.”

The Tornado Cash case, along with that of Samourai Wallet co-founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, has long been a point of contention in the crypto community, with many viewing it as a direct attack on developers who build privacy-preserving technology.

According to supporters, open-source coders should not be held responsible for how others use their technology. But on the other hand, regulators claim that the mixing service knowingly took part in large-scale money laundering and sanctions evasion.

In his X post, Storm pointed to what he sees as contradictions in the government’s approach. He believes that the DOJ’s request was made despite there being a more favorable policy climate for the crypto industry in the U.S.

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The developer specifically mentioned a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump declaring that the “war on crypto is over” and a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in which he said that the DOJ is “not a digital assets regulator” and would not target crypto mixers for the actions of their end users.

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Storm’s post also referenced the U.S. Treasury’s decision to lift sanctions on Tornado Cash, as well as a recent report to Congress under the GENIUS Act that acknowledged lawful crypto users can rely on mixers for financial privacy.

40-Year Prison Sentence

The 36-year-old now faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on the two undecided conspiracy counts and a sentence of up to 5 years from his previous ruling.

“The 2 counts = up to 40 years in federal prison. For writing open-source code. For a protocol I don’t control. For transactions I never touched,” he wrote.

He also believes that the prosecutors are simply pushing for a different outcome in the case.

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The post concluded with him appealing for financial support and a vow to keep fighting for freedom and the rights of other developers. Storm has called on anyone who values financial privacy or believes that writing code is a form of speech to contribute, emphasizing that “this is the moment.”

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ETH Needs to Reclaim This Key Level to Reignite Sustainable Rally

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ETH Needs to Reclaim This Key Level to Reignite Sustainable Rally

Ethereum is still trading within a broader bearish structure, but the recent price action shows signs of short-term stabilization above a key support zone. After the sharp selloff seen in early February, ETH has managed to base around the $1,800 area, and buyers are hoping for another push higher, although the market still needs a stronger breakout to confirm a more meaningful recovery.

Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the daily chart, ETH remains below the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, which keeps the higher timeframe trend tilted to the downside. The asset is also still trading inside a descending channel, while the $2,400 and $2,800 zones continue to act as the main resistance barriers on any larger rebound.

At the same time, the market has been holding above the blue demand region around $1,800 to $1,700, which is currently the most important support range. As long as ETH stays above this area, the structure can remain constructive in the short term, but a daily reclaim of the $2,400 region is still needed to suggest that the broader bearish pressure is starting to weaken.

ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart

On the 4-hour chart, ETH is gradually moving higher from the late February lows and is now pressing toward the $2,150 resistance level once again. The formation of a rising short-term trendline from the recent swing lows also points to improving momentum, while the RSI has pushed back above the midline and supports the case for a stronger recovery attempt.

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Still, the price has not broken out yet, and the $2,150 level remains the key trigger in the near term. A clean move above it could open the way toward the $2,400 supply zone, while another rejection would likely keep ETH stuck inside its current range and send it back toward the $1,800 support levels.

On-Chain Analysis

From an on-chain perspective, Ethereum’s exchange reserve continues to trend lower and has now dropped to around 16.1 million ETH, which is a notable long-term bullish signal. The persistent decline suggests that more coins are being moved away from exchanges, typically reflecting lower immediate sell pressure and a stronger preference for holding rather than distributing.

That said, the exchange reserve trend is a supportive background factor rather than a direct timing signal. In the short term, ETH still needs price confirmation through a breakout above nearby resistance, but the continued drawdown in exchange balances does strengthen the idea that downside pressure may be more limited than before if demand starts to improve.

 

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Societe Generale-FORGE Deploys MiCA-Compliant EURCV Stablecoin on Stellar

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Europe, United States, European Union, Stablecoin, MiCA, Genius Act

Societe Generale-FORGE, the crypto arm of French banking company Societe Generale, has deployed its euro-denominated stablecoin on the Stellar blockchain, completing a multichain expansion first announced in 2025.

The stablecoin, known as EUR CoinVertible (EURCV), is designed to comply with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework and represents a tokenized euro issued by the company for use in digital asset markets.

According to the company, the Stellar deployment is intended to broaden the stablecoin’s use across blockchain-based financial applications and tokenized asset services.

SG-FORGE said Stellar offers high transaction throughput, low network fees and built-in support for tokenized assets. The network also includes a decentralized exchange that allows users to trade digital assets directly onchain.

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Societe Generale-FORGE first launched the EUR CoinVertible (EURCV) stablecoin on Ethereum in April 2023. The stablecoin is fully backed by reserves consisting of bank deposits and high-quality liquid assets on a one-to-one basis, and has a current market cap of around $452 million, according to DefiLlama data.

The development comes weeks after SG-FORGE deployed EUR CoinVertible on the XRP Ledger, then marking the token’s third blockchain network after Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL).

In January, the stablecoin was used by global banking network SWIFT in a pilot that demonstrated the exchange and settlement of tokenized bonds using both fiat and digital currencies.

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Related: Stablecoin payments startup Kast raises $80M at $600M valuation: Report

European stablecoin push

Despite growing interest in euro-denominated tokens, the stablecoin market remains dominated by US dollar-backed assets. Tether’s USDT (USDT) holds a market capitalization of about $185 billion, representing nearly 60% of the sector, while Circle’s USDC (USDC) accounts for roughly $78 billion.

Adoption of digital dollars accelerated in the US after the GENIUS Act passed in July 2025, providing regulatory clarity for stablecoin issuers. Total market capitalization has climbed from around $260 billion on July 20 to more than $314 billion today, per DefiLlama data.

Meanwhile, Europe has taken a more restrictive regulatory approach. The European Union’s MiCA framework introduced new rules for stablecoin issuers in June 2024, requiring companies operating in the European Economic Area to obtain an e-money license in at least one EU member state.

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Europe, United States, European Union, Stablecoin, MiCA, Genius Act
Stablecoin market cap. Source: DefiLlama

The regulation prompted several exchanges, including Coinbase, OKX, Bitstamp, Uphold and Binance, to remove or restrict support for stablecoins that had not secured authorization under the framework. Tether also decided it would discontinue its euro-pegged stablecoin EURT.

In November, European Central Bank officials warned that the growth of US dollar–backed stablecoins could weaken Europe’s monetary sovereignty by increasing reliance on dollar-denominated digital assets.

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