On April 28, the DeFi Education Fund, a crypto advocacy group, sent a letter to White House crypto adviser David Sacks.
The group called on President Donald Trump to end the Department of Justice’s efforts to charge open-source developers under laws meant for financial crimes.
They focused on the case of Roman Storm, a developer who helped create Tornado Cash, a tool used for mixing cryptocurrency transactions. Storm was charged in August 2023 with allegedly helping criminals move over $1 billion in digital funds. His trial is scheduled for July.
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In the letter, the DeFi Education Fund said that holding developers responsible for what others do with their code is unreasonable and could harm innovation across the crypto industry.
They also pointed out that during President Trump’s first term, the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued guidance that developers building non-custodial, peer-to-peer tools were not considered money transmitters. The group argues that continuing to prosecute Storm goes against that earlier guidance.
According to the letter, letting these prosecutions advance would create a dangerous situation where developers could be punished for writing code, even if they have no control over how it is used. They said it would not only slow down innovation but could completely freeze new development in the United States.
The letter closed by urging President Trump to defend American developers, clarify the law, and stop what the group described as an overreach by the Department of Justice.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently said it would not pursue its case against Richard Heart. How did Heart respond? Read the full story.
Having completed a Master’s degree in Economics, Politics, and Cultures of the East Asia region, Aaron has written scientific papers analyzing the differences between Western and Collective forms of capitalism in the post-World War II era.With close to a decade of experience in the FinTech industry, Aaron understands all of the biggest issues and struggles that crypto enthusiasts face. He’s a passionate analyst who is concerned with data-driven and fact-based content, as well as that which speaks to both Web3 natives and industry newcomers.Aaron is the go-to person for everything and anything related to digital currencies. With a huge passion for blockchain & Web3 education, Aaron strives to transform the space as we know it, and make it more approachable to complete beginners.Aaron has been quoted by multiple established outlets, and is a published author himself. Even during his free time, he enjoys researching the market trends, and looking for the next supernova.
