Greater than 65 cryptocurrency and blockchain corporations and advocacy teams have referred to as on US President Donald Trump to step in as federal prosecutors could also be getting ready to retry Twister Money co-founder and developer Roman Storm.
In a letter to Trump dated Thursday and shared with Cointelegraph, advocacy organizations together with the Solana Coverage Institute, Blockchain Affiliation and DeFi Training Fund, amongst others, made a number of requests relating to crypto-related insurance policies.
The teams requested Trump to direct the IRS and US Treasury to make clear tax coverage on digital property, defend DeFi from regulators and encourage regulatory readability by monetary regulators just like the Securities and Change Fee and Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee.
Notable, nevertheless, was the letter’s request for Trump to “urge the Division of Justice to dismiss all open costs towards Roman Storm” and assist overturning his conviction for operating an unlicensed cash transmitting service.
“Recognizing that Storm’s work on Twister Money represents the publication of open-source software program – not a monetary crime,” mentioned the letter. “Dropping the case would reaffirm the Administration’s dedication to defending builders. Doing so will additional assist that code is speech beneath the First Modification and indicators that the US will defend innovation.”
Associated: The jury’s journey to the Roman Storm verdict
Storm was found guilty in federal court of operating an unlicensed cash transmittal enterprise, one in every of three costs he had been dealing with. The jury didn’t determine whether or not the Twister Money co-founder engaged in a conspiracy to commit cash laundering and a conspiracy to violate sanctions.
DOJ about-face on alleged crimes involving code?
Storm, who was indicted in August 2023 for the three felony costs, pleaded not responsible. He repeatedly claimed he was harmless by echoing the rallying cry from lots of his supporters: “Writing code shouldn’t be against the law.“
About two weeks after the decision was handed down, a Justice Division official spoke at a summit run by the cryptocurrency advocacy group American Innovation Mission. Matthew Galeotti, the performing assistant lawyer normal for the Justice Division’s felony division, mentioned that “merely writing code, with out ailing intent, shouldn’t be against the law.”
Regardless of Galeotti’s feedback, Jay Clayton, the interim US lawyer for the Southern District of New York, filed with the court docket on Nov. 12 to oppose Storm’s movement for acquittal. As of Thursday, the events are scheduled to return to court docket for a convention to debate the matter on Jan. 22, and no sentencing listening to for the one conviction appeared on the general public docket.
Although a US president has some affect over the Justice Division in directing coverage goals, norms have primarily been one of many obstacles in stopping a president from violating prosecutorial independence, i.e., ordering a federal prosecutor to drop costs or indict somebody.
Cointelegraph reached out to the Solana Coverage Institute relating to the letter’s request that Trump intervene within the Storm case, however had not obtained a response on the time of publication.
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