GoFundMe Campaign for Tornado Cash Defense Cancelled
The American crowdfunding platform, GoFundMe, has cancelled a fundraising campaign intended to cover the legal expenses of Tornado Cash co-founder, Roman Storm, and its developer, Alexey Pertsev. On January 22, Storm launched a video appeal to the community to fund their legal battle against US authorities, accusing them of enabling the circumvention of US sanctions.
Violation of Terms of Service and Refund of Donations
However, on February 14, GoFundMe terminated the campaign, citing a violation of their terms of service, specifically condition 22, which states that fundraising for Tornado Cash could “expose GoFundMe, its employees, or its users to any type of damages or liabilities“. Donors, including Ryan Adams from Bankless Ventures, had their contributions refunded, with GoFundMe confirming that funds would be returned to donors’ bank accounts within three to seven business days.
The Interest in Cryptocurrencies?
Despite the cancellation of the $30,000 GoFundMe campaign, Storm and Pertsev aim to raise $1.5 million for their legal expenses in the United States. They are now turning to the cryptocurrency funding platform, JuiceBox, where 316.75 Ether has already been collected. GoFundMe’s decision has raised questions within the Tornado Cash community, with some questioning the platform’s motives as similar campaigns had been allowed in the past.
Legal Situation and Defendants’ Perspective
Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev are facing charges of conspiracy to launder money, violation of sanctions, and operating an unlicensed money transfer business, but they maintain their innocence on all charges. Storm is currently released on a $2 million bail with restrictions on leaving certain regions of New York, New Jersey, Washington, and California.
