The Ethereum Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to support the legal defense of Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, who is facing serious charges including conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter and money laundering. This financial assistance aims to help him in his trial, scheduled to begin on July 14, following his indictment two years earlier. The Foundation also pledged to match up to $750,000 in donations from the crypto community. They stated that coding should not be criminalized and that privacy is essential. Storm has expressed grave concerns over U.S. regulatory attempts that might jeopardize decentralized finance (DeFi), claiming that the Department of Justice's pressure could lead to the demise of DeFi if he is convicted. Support for Storm includes backing from various digital asset advocacy groups and key industry figures. The other Tornado Cash developers involved in the indictment have also attracted attention, with differing circumstances regarding their legal situations.

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