First actual day of the trial is over. The Government's first witness testified that she sent ~$200k to a shady trading platform via a guy she met on WhatsApp.
Tomorrow, they'll likely argue that somehow that is Roman's fault.
What's interesting about this is that in a hearing last June, the judge had asked the prosecution whether putting Storm on trial for building a software tool would be the same as prosecuting the developers of WhatsApp because criminals used it.
After today's witness statement, it sounds like there is rampant fraud on WhatsApp, WhatsApp developers did nothing to stop it, and they're the ones who should be charged for conspiring to defraud poor Katie Lin.
Pathetic, frankly.
Every time I read about the de minimis tax exemption for Bitcoin the number goes down. First it was supposed to be $1000, then $600, now $300.
Let's make number go up and make the de minimis exemption $10,000 AND index it to inflation so it goes up every year.
😔💔 I’m Roman Storm. I poured my soul into Tornado Cash—software that’s non-custodial, trustless, permissionless, immutable, unstoppable. In 31 days, I face trial. The DOJ wants to bury DeFi, saying I should’ve controlled it, added KYC, never built it. SDNY is trying to crush me, blocking every expert witness. If I lose, DeFi dies with me. The dream of financial freedom, the code I believed in—it all fades into darkness. I’m fighting, but the weight is unbearable. This isn’t just my end; it’s ours. 🪦 #SaveDeFi #TornadoCash
https://t.co/IYqXdqjQ4r
9+ months after I learned about the investigation against me in France, I still don’t understand why it began.
At first, the authorities claimed Telegram didn’t respond to French requests — but it turned out they’d been ignoring the EU and French law, and hadn’t sent us a single legally binding judicial request until last September.
Then they argued that Telegram moderated content worse than other platforms — a claim that was soon refuted by several hundred pages of forensic evidence proving the opposite.
Why I’m still unable to leave France — a country where less than 1% of Telegram’s billion users reside — remains a mystery.
Paying for cars in 2025 just got much easier.
For the first time ever, you can now buy vehicles like THIS iconic ‘86 Toyota Pickup with USDC on @carsandbids.
No fees, no banking hours, no questionable personal checks, no quirks—all features. @dougdemuro
https://t.co/OyxSzRMCyM