therage
The Rage

The Rage is an independent publication covering financial surveillance. Privacy is not a crime.

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nprofile1qqs9wsu887m90qrxeug5p2wnrcmglddtsjlc4dys0uh62rgw442u0sqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsnjas55

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub12apcw0ak27qxdnc3gz5ax83k3766hp9l326fqle055xsat24clqqcgn3wz

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Last Notes

2025-09-26 15:04:43 UTC

- reply

Because Mechanic says having a discussion to prepare for future scenarios does not qualify as a „plan“?
Mmmh yeah no i dont think so
https://blossom.primal.net/c459fd221ee9f9c7b3d9f2330c6f433e86548ad3d06237d81f073a87502d6935.jpg

2025-09-25 21:06:15 UTC

🚨LEAKED: LUKE DASHJR PLANS HARDFORK TO "SAVE BITCOIN"
Text messages show the Knots maintainer is considering a hardfork to implement a trusted multisig committee that can retrospectively alter the blockchain to remove illicit content.
We included screenshots of all relevant messages we received for you to verify what Luke proposes for yourself.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/leaked-luke-dashjr-bitcoin-hardfork/

2025-09-23 12:38:47 UTC

🚨SCOOP: It appears that the US Government has made no progress on the establishment of a Strategic Reserve, FOIA response reveals
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/foia-progress-bitcoin-reserve/

2025-09-23 11:35:54 UTC

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Why not get another hobby besides complaining on social media you loser

2025-09-22 21:07:20 UTC

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The link is in the comments jestopher
Next time maybe try DYOR before accusing us

2025-09-22 14:42:34 UTC

📢 "Pro-Bitcoin" Senator Lummis tells Semafor she no longer supports unrestricted First Amendment
https://blossom.primal.net/602fc142b162b747947c92dacc6afbdf8d45674750ecbe70439c9be26f22788c.png

2025-09-19 15:27:39 UTC

🚨NEW: CANADA SEIZES $56M IN CUSTOMER FUNDS WITHOUT CHARGES
Authorities have "reason to believe" that TradeOgre funds stem from illicit activity, as no-KYC services are a "common tactic" to launder money. No charges have been filed.
https://www.therage.co/tradeogre-seized-canada/

2025-09-18 19:07:18 UTC

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💥 CONFIRMED: Canadian Police took down the exchange TradeOgre, announcing a $56 million dollars seizure in an op_return message
https://blossom.primal.net/d5d318799e8583e9dfa8885f9a53940e0bf3376c4eb13ca3b51bdac88a284a8e.png
#nevent1q…3c32

2025-09-16 19:52:42 UTC

🚨NEW: DID CANADA JUST ROB AN OG EXCHANGE OF $32,000,000?
The crypto exchange TradeOgre has been drained for Millions of Dollars. An op_return transaction claims that the funds are now in custody of the Canadian Government.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/tradeogre-theft/

2025-09-11 14:24:35 UTC

🚨SCOOP: US GOVERNMENT TO BRING PATRIOT ACT TO DIGITAL ASSETS
FinCEN Director reveals Treasury is finalizing ban on privacy tools, Representatives revive Special Measures to Fight Modern Threats Act
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/us-government-to-bring-patriot-act-to-digital-assets/

2025-09-10 15:07:50 UTC

🚨NEW: The Treasury is working on reforming the Bank Secrecy Act, FinCEN Director states
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/bsa-reform/

2025-09-10 11:16:46 UTC

👁️UK and UAE strengthen financial surveillance cooperation
The UAE persecutes journalists, activists and dissidents, systemically restricts freedom of speech, and engages in extrajudicial killings
Last year alone, 40 human rights defenders were sentenced to life in prison, according to human rights watch
https://blossom.primal.net/ddc0f88a2b5cd05ba2bb2c89925177273d534253500e70d658c8e119ec2a622f.png

2025-09-09 15:01:46 UTC

New investigation reveals how JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank enabled Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking operation
https://blossom.primal.net/9b89821a6498b560c4bb4d35dc09569102cb3abda88fd9f0c0fc6ea6574e3f75.mp4

2025-09-09 13:41:15 UTC

💥NEW: Senate market structure draft retroactively applies control requirement to money transmitter laws, exempts non-custodial services from BSA
But debates may become heated as democrats release new framework targeting illicit finance
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/senate-banking-money-transmission-developer-protection/

2025-09-09 12:06:47 UTC

🚨JUST IN: FATF, UN, and Interpol call on Governments to strengthen partnerships with blockchain analytics firms
https://blossom.primal.net/7b7e8c5baecce4547367ad819503bac64d3847675b4917ebeb2e64e52af6a7c2.png

2025-09-08 17:07:11 UTC

🚨NEW: Lawmakers are lobbying to regulate non-custodial services to combat terror financing and sanctions evasion. But Chainalysis’ latest crypto adoption index shows that “DeFi” is most popular in fully legal jurisdictions.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/chainalysis-crypto-adoption-index-accidentally-debunks-terror-financing-sanctions-evasion-narrative/

2025-09-05 14:48:11 UTC

🚨JUST IN: Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Report removes DeFi as standalone category
DeFi described as "niche behavior" with "much smaller share of overall user activity" compared to centralized platforms
https://blossom.primal.net/f82916ca78819892e8b2b6721a03e90429151b9e82795b9f496cd891450f7808.png

2025-09-04 20:51:22 UTC

🔴 Financial Crime Detection startup IVIX, founded by Matan Fattal, a former member of Israel's notorious military intelligence Unit 8200, and Doron Passov, a former member of the IDF's secretive Unit 81 tasked with building custom espionage software, raises $60M Series B
IVIX "scans the web for signs of illicit financial activity," collecting data "using scrapers powered by large language models" sourced from "blockchains, short-term rental platforms, e-commerce marketplaces and other sources."
IVIX has developed software for the Government of Canada and the State of California. IVIX claims that it can identify entities behind illicit activity "with 99% accuracy."
https://blossom.primal.net/138c70d0a922b85f2ec25a9eafce0122f7d97efccca2e4f766a1fdc3bbd5777f.png

2025-08-28 11:03:23 UTC

🚨EXCLUSIVE: Solana Policy Institute donates half a million Dollars to Tornado Cash defense fund
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/solana-policy-institute-donates-half-a-million-dollars-to-tornado-cash-defense-fund/

2025-08-27 16:04:01 UTC

🚨NEW: DeFi Education Fund gathers largest industry coalition to protect developers
Over 100 signatories state that they will not support a market structure bill that does not include protections for non-custodial services.
Fully story👇
https://www.therage.co/defi-education-fund-coalition-to-protect-developers/

2025-08-21 14:35:27 UTC

🚨NEW: The Treasury is seeking comments on the implementation of digital identities for DeFi, where smart contracts could automatically check for a credential before executing a user's transaction.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/treasury-digital-identity-defi/

2025-08-19 18:08:56 UTC

🚨NEW: Economists at the Bank of International Settlements propose banning any coin that has passed through a no-KYC wallet from regulated services to enable a culture of self-policing
Full Story 👇
https://www.therage.co/bank-of-international-settlements-kyc-non-custodial-wallets/

2025-08-15 17:13:12 UTC

Treasury Secretary Bessent claimed yesterday that the US Government holds between $15-20 Billion in bitcoin to build the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Where did Bessent find 140,000 BTC?
Full Story👇
https://www.therage.co/bitcoin-reserve-where-did-bessent-find-140-000-btc/

2025-08-13 22:13:07 UTC

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#nevent1q…7qzc

2025-08-13 22:00:48 UTC

🚨 UPDATE: Google has clarified that non-custodial wallets are not meant to be in scope of its Play Store policy in response to our reporting.
The policy will be revised accordingly.
https://blossom.primal.net/b4419e85e214c34db3c331fbc933578cebd6c2e12d8c223414ef70ee5a0ec8e6.png

2025-08-13 18:04:04 UTC

🚨 New Google Play Store policy forces AML/KYC on non-custodial wallets in the US, effectively bans non-custodial wallet developers from Play Store in EU
Full Story👇
https://www.therage.co/google-play-store-ban-wallets/

2025-08-11 22:03:47 UTC

🚨JUST IN: Parties in US v. Storm ask for exclusion of time on post-trial motions to decide whether prosecution will retry charges
Potential motion to retry convicted charge possible
https://blossom.primal.net/717013b5325ba6542ef640dd014c2bddaaf3ef91b9c7f1296e341f8936987844.png

2025-08-11 22:02:45 UTC

Ethereum Core developer Federico Carrone was arrested at passport controls in Turkey over his contributions to a paper that assessed privacy on Ethereum and Tornado Cash.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/developer-arrested-over-tornado-cash-research/

2025-08-10 21:44:56 UTC

🚨 Ethereum developer working on Zero Knowledge says he has been detained in Turkey
https://blossom.primal.net/d9cde4eacc9962951e5fdef32e95388cc07396b942ea792b55ed85abc098dcf2.png

2025-08-08 11:52:55 UTC

Gmgm, we’re participating in a game called #sathunterz that teaches people how hard it is to crack a bitcoin seedphrase.
Follow the hashtag (here and on X), find as many words as you can, and win 800k sats 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/9e4024ad10f6932873fb8cf5d35b3c9a7db6dec54fbdcd76c1a77a0970cd0021.jpg

2025-08-06 17:36:27 UTC

More post-verdict observations on Roman Storm, including Judge Failla's decision not to detain him ahead of sentencing; and Failla's comments on the path to challenging the Money Transmission conviction.
https://blossom.primal.net/bd07994eeb71198627f2ae64ac56afe5f1e816c958c73f9c84b5e8098de1d45e.mp4

2025-08-06 17:11:12 UTC

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🚨UPDATE: Count 3, Sanctions evasion, is also inconclusive. The Government will decide whether it will retry Storm on money laundering and sanctions evasion.
#nevent1q…63yr

2025-08-06 17:10:03 UTC

🚨UPDATE on the verdict:
https://blossom.primal.net/7a077c7401921410fa2d3e337611a5c9185f9c6dc408d146b0249eca0ee26928.mp4

2025-08-06 17:07:31 UTC

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🚨UPDATE: Jury also not unanimous on count 3, sanctions evasion. Government will decide whether it will retry charges one and three.

2025-08-06 16:36:56 UTC

COUNT 1, MONEY LAUNDERING: NOT UNANIMOUS
COUNT 2, 1960: GUILTY
COUNT 3, SANCTIONS EVASION: NOT GUILTY

2025-08-06 14:55:52 UTC

🚨JUST IN
Jury still deadlocked. Partial verdict incoming.

2025-08-06 14:04:36 UTC

🚨JUST IN
Jury in trial against Roman Storm says it's deadlocked on some charges. Court asked jury to reconsider – if deadlock remains, the court will accept a partial verdict. Government may re-try remaining charges.

2025-08-06 08:27:32 UTC

How many hops makes a criminal?
Today the jury asked whether sanctions also apply to intermediary addresses between a sanctioned wallet and Tornado Cash.
An important question, as there seems to be quite a few intermediaries in the Government's tracing testimony.
Full story 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/a93a2976827d89a4ba65d542f861beb9c7be1c820cd7bbfad3289883a82f6698.png
https://www.therage.co/jury-questions-tracing-and-venue-in-roman-storm-trial/

2025-08-05 21:42:05 UTC

Jury deliberations continued today, with prosecution and defense waging trench warfare over every word and document that might shape the verdict.
Today, one question from the jury took both legal teams nearly two hours to address 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/90981f67b975c3a0c303e6b53d7e145b6ee92455e02df058d377e70f76d9f1ec.mp4

2025-08-05 11:53:29 UTC

"We should take concrete steps to protect people’s ability not only to communicate privately, but to transfer value privately," says SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/sec-commissioner-hester-pierce-slams-bank-secrecy-act/

2025-08-03 23:16:56 UTC

💥Is Privacy A Crime?
The Trial Against Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm: Everything You Need to Know
We sat down with Amanda Tuminelli, CEO of the DeFi Education Fund, former criminal defense lawyer and party to the case, Taylor Monahan, Security at Metamask and expert blockchain tracer, privacy and FOSS advocate Molly White of Citation Needed, and Ethereum L2 Developer Tim Clancy to discuss what happened at trial and what it means for open source software development.
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkX_v1X3SVM
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JPO8OABA1hJibbf2G82FJ
RSS:
https://podcastindex.org/podcast/7434653

2025-08-02 18:06:51 UTC

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We discuss that + appeal process in the pod

2025-08-02 17:49:01 UTC

This Sunday. Everything you need to know about the criminal trial against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
With Amanda Tuminelli, Taylor Monahan, Molly White, and Tim Clancy, hosted by David Z Morris 👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10GfBE8n4s

2025-07-31 22:29:49 UTC

It's the third week in the criminal trial against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, and we continue to wait for a verdict.
Today, the jury requested transcripts, had questions about venue, and seemed rather eager to go home.
Full story:
https://www.therage.co/roman-storm-no-verdict/

2025-07-31 19:04:27 UTC

🚨JUST IN:
No verdict today in US v. Storm. The jury is being sent home and deliberations will continue Monday morning.

2025-07-31 18:24:41 UTC

While you're waiting for the Storm verdict, it may make sense to take some time to understand what the White House outlined on financial privacy in its Digital Assets Report.
Hint: it's not pretty.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/white-house-digital-assets-report-financial-privacy-primary-money-laundering/

2025-07-31 17:18:32 UTC

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🫡🩷

2025-07-31 16:56:45 UTC

We are still awaiting the jury's return with a verdict in US v. Storm.
So far this morning the jury has made two requests for clarifications or further information, including a request for documents at around 11:30amET.
The jury is deliberating and likely to be at least for another hour, so there's a good chance we will keep waiting.
One of their questions sent to the court touched on the grand jury evidence for venue, which is beyond their scope, but perhaps a source of hope for acquittal. 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/3e173babd7e79cc0fa715ae822ce39b5d8380803046f17f49f1670495855b72b.mp4

2025-07-30 22:20:01 UTC

“Privacy became the cover story for Tornado Cash, not the goal,” the prosecution said in closing arguments today.
The main question now facing the jury: what was Storm really thinking?
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/the-storm-jurys-dilemma-was-crime-the-goal-all-along/

2025-07-30 16:18:15 UTC

In a major win for DOJ, Samourai Wallet developers have plead guilty to unlicensed money transmission.
The charge had been heavily disputed, described as an unclear application of the law.
The developers face fines and up to five years in prison. Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/samourai-wallet-developers-plead-guilty-to-unlicensed-money-transmission/

2025-07-30 12:59:23 UTC

Is Privacy Legal? Roman Storm’s Defense Rests in Tornado Cash Trial
Final witnesses laid out principles of decentralization and the critical role of privacy online.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/is-privacy-legal-roman-storm-tornado-cash-trial/

2025-07-29 18:00:21 UTC

🚨JUST IN
Samourai Wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill have notified the court of a change of plea – expected to plead guilty. Hearings scheduled for tomorrow 10:00 and 10.30
https://blossom.primal.net/624274466b2a5d67df032d14400fb2493d78a2fa8ee7b1fe756715aac37623b5.png https://blossom.primal.net/fc82955523f425e50b41d2b62865ed48c26034e91c90d6802acc01497f2f65d8.png

2025-07-28 22:20:08 UTC

Do corporate accounts not work on this protocol or are you all just really fucking lazy reposters

2025-07-28 22:17:47 UTC

💥 Update:
The third week of the trial of Roman Storm kicked off with defense testimony that rebutted government tracing experts, and a Coinbase employee who used Tornado Cash to make a donation to Urkaine. 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/61eacf40891885976f691d80ba5b532e984f377b117074a2dd9ed2566d25b5cc.mp4

2025-07-28 19:03:11 UTC

🚨UPDATE:
Chainalysis witness may plead the 5th to avoid self-incrimination following a phone call with the Government.
This is after SDNY openly threatened defense witness Tom Schmidt of Dragonfly Capital, allegedly to stop him from testifying.
https://blossom.primal.net/704cdd17b790d5b4db8f5c393acbb10f490478a27219dce1682eea107f362814.png

2025-07-28 18:26:08 UTC

Update from today's trial in the criminal case against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm:
This morning the defense challenged tracing testimony at the heart of the government case 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/b2db63889b5de456e7a78d248100806339f675a91793f0e287d00faab6bc4227.mp4

2025-07-24 18:18:27 UTC

🚨JUST IN:
IRS Special Agent George, tasked with tracing the Government's first witness' funds to Tornado Cash, testifies that he does not know what crypto[.]com is, doesn't know the difference between ERC-20 and ETH

2025-07-24 18:18:01 UTC

🚨JUST IN:
Judge Failla allows into evidence emails sent to Storm by people alleging to have had their funds stolen. Unclear how or if any actual connection of funds to TC will be established. The emails go toward Storm's "state of mind".

2025-07-24 18:14:31 UTC

TORNADO CASH UPDATE by Sage D. Young 👇
The prosecution’s last witness, a paralegal for the US Attorneys Office, has taken the stand. She has been reading messages from Roman Storm throughout the years in several groupchats. Topics included token unlocks for founders with Dragonfly Capital’s Haseeb and internal communications among PepperSec contributors about UI fixes.
The government also brought up TORN’s price pump between February 1, 2022 and May 8, 2022.
https://blossom.primal.net/65bc272e724c7d25f7cf97286b004b49ccdc6ea385c5886527b504e5fe358394.mp4

2025-07-23 15:54:55 UTC

💥 EXCLUSIVE: Did SDNY Enter A Recovery Scam's Documents Into Evidence against Roman Storm?
We obtained exclusive access to documents from a company called "Payback" that tied the Government's first victim to Tornado Cash – and it doesn't look good.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/tornado-cash-recovery-scam/

2025-07-22 14:42:41 UTC

🚨JUST IN: Notice of appearance for Chainalysis counsel in US v. Storm
https://blossom.primal.net/f4066b6c61ad9321de092fc68b51f2c3ebd21ecea4272199dfdb4e5e924ca6d9.png

2025-07-21 22:42:16 UTC

Today in the prosecution of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, Storm’s defense team raised the possibility of a mistrial if no foundation could be found for the testimony of the prosecution’s first witness, Hanfeng "Katie" Lin.
The victim of a pig butchering scam, Lin engaged a recovery service that directed her to contact Tornado Cash about lost funds.
But an FBI forensic tracer who has testified for nearly a full day was not instructed by prosecutors to trace Lin’s money, and experts have raised questions about whether any of it actually went to Tornado Cash.
If it did not, Lin’s testimony would have to be stricken and, according to defense attorney David Patton, the entire trial might have to be restarted from scratch.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/tornado-cash-mistrial-hangfeng-lin/

2025-07-21 22:40:58 UTC

Update from U.S. v. Storm 👇
Roman Storm's defense team has raised the spectre of a mistrial after an FBI tracing expert failed to confirm that the prosecution's first witness' stolen funds had in fact been sent to Tornado Cash.
https://blossom.primal.net/1108ca2b2d9f3a561ee9b290ff7729ce65a609a0252d71fc0dea6b91f496c9df.mp4

2025-07-21 16:05:50 UTC

The Government is trying to sneak in KYC testimony against Roman Storm – despite Judge Failla ruling that the terms KYC and AML had no place at his trial.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/kyc-tornado-cash/

2025-07-17 19:12:03 UTC

- reply

https://blossom.primal.net/4b34e5c267b886b780da57d013f6cba1bf7e32747acccb1e10f4334aa4cc8184.png
#nevent1q…plcp

2025-07-17 19:10:36 UTC

Fed Math:
The Government's forensic accounting reports presented as evidence of Roman Storm's financial motives do not add up.
“You testified that you were trained by the FBI?”
https://www.therage.co/fed-math-the-fbi-cant-count-to-100-in-case-against-roman-storm/

2025-07-17 15:33:15 UTC

We're about to start the second full day of proceedings in US v. Storm.
Trial observers care passionately about the outcome. Meet
Tim Clancy (@_Enoch), who brought a printed copy of the PGP code to court - the document that established free speech protections for code.
https://blossom.primal.net/04c9482921ddcec08113b2a697f4f586a17c4d5933464c8ba4e4b683e56228f5.mp4

2025-07-17 01:44:01 UTC

- reply

🫡

2025-07-17 01:24:22 UTC

In yesterday's opening statements, the defense asked the jury how they would feel if their bank accounts were published on the Internet.
Today, the Government filed a motion to stop Storm from testifying to the use of privacy services. Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/roman-storm-privacy-kidnappings/

2025-07-17 01:00:23 UTC

On day two of the Tornado Cash trial, witnesses recounted scams and hacks whose perpetrators used Tornado Cash - but never spoke to Roman Storm.
Full story by David Z. Morris & Sage D. Young 👇
https://www.therage.co/tornado-cash-day-2/

2025-07-16 22:42:54 UTC

Tornado Cash Trial Update Day Two, live from the court house by Sage D. Young and David Z. Morris
https://blossom.primal.net/09d42e39f1457e470086e72bfefa22c2983752a87dbb06bb4a45197241fe79f4.mp4

2025-07-16 19:29:43 UTC

Scoop: At Roman Storm's trial, jurors are crying and punching walls. One juror may have to be excused, but the court is concerned that others might follow.
"Right now they're being fed with snacks, [...] we're trying to keep them happy."👇
https://blossom.primal.net/ab793e7b1d80fb0bab11b1e75e4b940cc59745d6ba3c200baa47ef19f75b0550.png

2025-07-16 18:09:57 UTC

New: US Marshal Service merely holds ~29,000 BTC
Here's the full list of holdings obtained via FOIA request: https://www.therage.co/btc-held-by-the-us-marshal-service/

2025-07-16 00:29:45 UTC

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for nostr or bitcoin?

2025-07-16 00:16:36 UTC

- reply

https://blossom.primal.net/f1782e80b47699e0f8bf995a95443e1f907577ca693a57ede76585b8159196fb.jpg

2025-07-16 00:15:42 UTC

- reply

ok yes but where do I put this

2025-07-15 23:46:09 UTC

I still don't know how to setup the zappers and at this point I'm afraid to ask

2025-07-15 23:44:10 UTC

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 👇
https://www.therage.co/tornado-cash-trial-scam-hack/
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.
https://blossom.primal.net/431f1e8121043370290803514847214d7f386cf7dedca52103d67c0807ef1f73.png

2025-07-15 23:41:37 UTC

Tornado Cash Trial, Day Two 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/e544f459e639f52ea07773d6e1e3d432b805fdb011e77997102b5d73c59221c1.mp4

2025-07-15 21:45:43 UTC

Hello world (again)