US Department of Justice rejects Tornado Cash developer's motion to dismiss criminal charges

The U.S. Department of Justice has rejected Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm's motion to dismiss criminal charges, stating that the defense filing presented disputed facts that should be weighed by a jury. Storm and fellow developer Roman Semenov were charged with conspiring to commit money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitter, and violating sanctions law by creating and operating Tornado Cash, a crypto mixing service. The DOJ disputed Storm's arguments that Tornado Cash is not a custodial mixing service and that he was not able to control the service or block criminal entities from using it, providing evidence that Storm and his co-founders maintained control over the mixer. Storm is set to go on trial in September, while Semenov remains at large.