GoCheckMyCrypto.com
Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm's Retrial Postponed to April 2027
Federal Judge Katherine Polk Failla postponed the retrial of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm to April 26, 2027, per The Block's reporting. Storm's legal team filed a Rule 29 motion for acquittal arguing insufficient evidence supports his conviction on money transmitting charges. The delay extends judicial review of whether the evidence meets the threshold for conviction.
Federal Judge Katherine Polk Failla has postponed the retrial of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm to April 26, 2027, according to The Block. The delay keeps Storm's conviction status in limbo while the court reviews his motion for acquittal on grounds of insufficient evidence.
Storm was convicted on August 6, 2025, on conspiracy charges related to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Prosecutors sought a retrial on two additional unresolved charges and had proposed an October 2026 start date, per The Block. Storm's legal team instead requested the postponement, which Judge Failla granted with a two-page order signed August 25 in the Southern District of New York.
The postponement centers on a Rule 29 motion filed by Storm's defense, which argues that prosecutors failed to present sufficient evidence to support the guilty verdict, according to The Block. Judge Failla has excluded time under the Speedy Trial Act through April 26, 2027, stating that "the ends of justice would be served by excluding time under the Speedy Trial Act through April 26, 2027, and that this would outweigh the interests of the public and the defendant in a speedy retrial."
The court has set a timeline for the months ahead. Government expert disclosures are due February 5, 2027, with defense disclosures due March 5, 2027, per The Block. Daubert motions and motions in limine, which address admissibility of evidence and expert testimony, are due March 30, 2027. A final pretrial conference is scheduled for April 20, 2027, six days before the retrial begins.
Storm's case has become a central data point in the debate over privacy-mixer enforcement. The earlier conviction showed prosecutors can pursue developers under money transmitting statutes, but the acquittal motion leaves that verdict open to reversal. Whether Judge Failla rules the evidence sufficient to sustain conviction or grants the motion could reshape the legal landscape for privacy-focused protocols.
Storm's retrial, originally proposed for October 2026, is now set for April 26, 2027, pending the judge's decision on his acquittal motion.
The focus now shifts to Judge Failla's decision on whether the evidence supporting Storm's conviction meets the legal threshold, a ruling due well before the April 2027 retrial date. If the acquittal motion succeeds, it would overturn the earlier guilty verdict and signal prosecutorial overreach; if denied, the case proceeds to a new jury trial with fresh evidentiary burdens on both sides. Watch for the judge's written ruling on the Rule 29 motion, which will clarify her view of the government's case.
And that's the way it is.
Sources
- CoinDesk: u s state banking associations plan to launch their own nationwide blockchain...
- cryptobriefing.com: us banking associations bankchain alliance blockchain
- The Block: 2026 08 26 tornado cash roman storm retrial april 2027
- Decrypt: roman storms tornado cash retrial pushed to april 2027
- Cointelegraph: roman storm retrial delayed april 2027
Also reported by Decrypt, Cointelegraph, BeInCrypto. The desk cites only the pages it drew facts from; these outlets independently carried the same development.
Not financial advice. Crypto Cronkite reports events and explains what they may mean. It never tells you to buy or sell anything. Do your own research.