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Roman Storm reacts as U.S. prosecutors push for October retrial in Tornado Cash case

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Roman Storm reacts as U.S. prosecutors push for October retrial in Tornado Cash case

Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm reacted after federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York asked a judge to schedule an October retrial on two criminal counts that a jury previously failed to resolve.

Summary

  • SDNY prosecutors requested an October retrial for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm on two unresolved charges.
  • A prior jury deadlocked on money-laundering and sanctions counts after a four-week trial.
  • Storm says the two counts carry up to 40 years in prison if he is ultimately convicted.

U.S. prosecutors push for second trial of Roman Storm after jury deadlock

In a letter filed with U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, prosecutors requested that the court set a new trial date in October to retry Storm on conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions. These are the two charges on which jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after weeks of testimony and deliberation.

The filing follows Storm’s earlier trial in Manhattan, which lasted roughly four weeks. At the conclusion of the proceedings, a 12-member jury returned a split outcome, reaching a verdict on one count while deadlocking on the two remaining charges.

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As the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on those counts, the court declared a mistrial on them.

Prosecutors now argue that the unresolved charges should be retried before a new jury and proposed October as the timeframe for the proceedings.

Storm publicly responded to the filing in a social media post, saying the government was seeking another trial despite the earlier jury deadlock. He noted that jurors had been unable to reach a unanimous decision on the money-laundering and sanctions-related counts after hearing the full case presented by prosecutors.

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According to Storm, the two unresolved counts together carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison if a future jury were to convict.

“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. A jury already couldn’t agree this was criminal. But the SDNY prosecutors want to keep trying with the hope of getting a different answer,” Storm wrote on Twitter.

Storm, who helped develop the privacy protocol Tornado Cash, also said the prospect of another trial poses significant financial challenges for his defense. He stated that his legal defense funds had largely been exhausted after the initial four-week trial.

Judge Failla has not yet ruled on the prosecutors’ request to set a new trial date or issued a schedule for how the case will proceed.

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Crypto World

Crypto market prediction ahead of US CPI data release tomorrow

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Crypto market prediction ahead of U.S. CPI data release tomorrow - 2

Crypto markets are entering a cautious holding pattern as traders prepare for the upcoming U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, a key macroeconomic indicator that could shape expectations for interest rate policy and risk asset performance.

Summary

  • Bitcoin is consolidating near $70,000 ahead of the upcoming U.S. CPI inflation report.
  • Technical indicators show moderate accumulation and improving momentum after February’s pullback.
  • Analysts expect heightened volatility in crypto markets depending on whether inflation data surprises to the upside or downside.

Crypto market eyes CPI data as Bitcoin rebounds toward $70K

Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was trading near $70,000 on Tuesday after rebounding from February lows.

Market participants are closely watching the inflation data due on Wednesday, which could influence the Federal Reserve’s next policy moves and drive volatility across global financial markets.

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Technical charts show Bitcoin recovering modestly after a prolonged pullback earlier this year. The daily chart indicates the asset fell from highs near $95,000 in January amid tariffs and Iran tensions. Bitcoin then stabilized around the $60,000–$65,000 range in February.

Crypto market prediction ahead of U.S. CPI data release tomorrow - 2
Bitcoin price analysis | Source: Crypto.News

Since then, Bitcoin has gradually climbed back toward the $70,000 level, a zone analysts view as an important resistance area.

Momentum indicators suggest improving sentiment. The Money Flow Index (MFI) on the daily timeframe has climbed toward the mid-60s, signaling strengthening buying pressure but not yet entering overbought territory.

Meanwhile, the Accumulation/Distribution indicator has stabilized after a sharp drop earlier in February, suggesting that selling pressure may be easing as investors accumulate positions ahead of the macro event.

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Macro data remains the primary driver of near-term sentiment.

Historical data comparing Bitcoin’s price performance with U.S. inflation trends shows that crypto markets have often responded sharply to shifts in CPI expectations, particularly when inflation surprises alter forecasts for Federal Reserve interest rate decisions.

Crypto market prediction ahead of U.S. CPI data release tomorrow - 3
U.S. CPI vs Bitcoin

According to market commentary from Morningstar, economists expect that consumer prices rose 0.3% on a monthly basis in February. That would lower the annual inflation rate to 2.9% from 3.0% in January. 

Traders expect the upcoming CPI release to act as a major volatility trigger, with Bitcoin likely to test nearby resistance or revisit recent support levels depending on how the inflation data shapes market expectations.

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Bhutan Transfers $11.8M in Bitcoin for Possible Sale: Arkham

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Bhutan Transfers $11.8M in Bitcoin for Possible Sale: Arkham

Bhutan, one of the world’s largest nation-state Bitcoin holders, has just moved 175 Bitcoin from its main holding address as cryptocurrency markets posted modest gains on Monday.

Data from the blockchain analytics platform Arkham shows that the South Asian country moved $11.85 million worth of BTC to an address created a month ago, which had previously received 184 Bitcoin from the government.

The 175 Bitcoin are still at the address as of Tuesday, according to blockchain data. However, the previous transfer of 184 was sent to a third address, which has received a total of 1,910 Bitcoin since 2024 and currently holds 126.

In an X post on Monday, Arkham said the last time Bhutan moved a similar amount of Bitcoin — in February — it was to sell $7 million of Bitcoin with QCP Capital. The kingdom has made several sales this year.

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“Bhutan periodically sells portions of its Bitcoin in clips of $5-10M, with a particularly heavy period of selling around mid-late September 2025,” Arkham said.

Arkham estimates that as of Monday, Bhutan’s holdings are around 5,400 Bitcoin, making its holdings the seventh-largest among countries. The United States has the largest country-held stash with 328,372 Bitcoin, worth just under $22 billion as of Tuesday.

Source: Arkham

Bhutan also holds various other cryptocurrencies in varying amounts, all managed by Druk Holding and Investments, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, including 28 Ether (ETH) and 28 KiboShib, an AI-generated memecoin.

Cointelegraph reached out to Druk Holding and Investments for comment, but didn’t receive an immediate response.

Bhutan has been using Bitcoin to fund services

Bhutan has accumulated roughly 13,000 Bitcoin since launching state-backed mining operations in 2019, primarily fueled by hydroelectric energy, according to Arkham.

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However, following the 2024 halving, mining became less efficient due to increased costs.

Related: Strategy buys $1.3B in Bitcoin as holdings top 738,000 BTC

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay told Al Jazeera last April that during the summer months, the kingdom’s hydropower plants generate surplus energy due to increased water flow. This abundance of power makes it highly practical to utilize the excess energy for Bitcoin mining.

In an interview with Al Jazeera in March 2025, Tobgay also noted that proceeds from Bhutan’s Bitcoin have been used to fund healthcare, environmental initiatives and public servant salaries.

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A growing number of Bitcoin miners have redirected their energy resources toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing services since the April 2024 halving, which reduced mining rewards to 3.125 Bitcoin and negatively impacted overall profitability.

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