US Prosecutors Propose Late 2026 Retrial for Tornado Cash Co-Founder

US prosecutors propose late 2026 retrial for Tornado Cash co-founder

Federal prosecutors on Monday submitted a proposed schedule for the potential retrial of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm to begin later this year. Storm was found guilty on one of three charges related to illegal money transmitting in 2025, but a jury deadlocked on two other charges, setting the stage for a potential retrial.

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Jay Clayton Clayton proposed an Oct. 20 final pretrial conference in Storm’s case, signaling a potential trial start date of late October or November 2026. The filing noted that the timeline was subject to the court’s decision on a Rule 29 motion filed by Storm requesting acquittal of the remaining charges.

Source: PACER

Storm’s case continues to draw attention from many in the crypto industry given the implications for developers potentially being held criminally liable for code they write. Should a retrial be scheduled, the Tornado Cash co-founder could face the two remaining charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions again.

Judge sets 60-day deadline for prosecutors to respond to Celsius CEO’s motion to vacate sentence

Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius who said he would be representing himself in court, could receive an answer to his pro se motion to vacate his 12-year sentence before the end of the year.

In a Saturday filing in the US District Court for SDNY, Judge John Koeltl granted a motion giving prosecutors until mid-August to respond to Mashinsky’s request to vacate his sentence. The 60-day deadline followed the former Celsius CEO requesting the judge vacate his May 2025 sentence, which resulted in Mashinsky reporting to federal prison.

Mashinsky, once one of the most recognizable figures in the crypto industry, was indicted in 2023 with his cohort Roni Cohen-Pavon on charges related to fraud and market manipulation. Celsius filed for bankruptcy in 2022 amid the crypto market downturn that resulted in the collapse of exchanges including FTX and Voyager Digital.

Related: Sam Bankman-Fried loses appeal to overturn 25-year prison sentence

The former CEO was ordered to pay $48 million in forfeiture as part of his criminal case. Cohen-Pavon was sentenced to time served but ordered to pay more than $1 million and a $40,000 fine.

Judge sets December 2026 trial for US soldier in Polymarket insider trading case

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, the US soldier charged after allegedly making more than $400,000 on a Polymarket event contract related to the capture of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, is looking at a December 2026 trial after his April arrest.

In a June 10 SDNY filing, Judge Margaret Garnett ordered pretrial motions for US prosecutors and defense attorneys in Van Dyke’s case, culminating in jury selection scheduled for Dec. 7. The soldier allegedly used nonpublic information to profit off the removal of Maduro in January, when US forces entered his residence in Caracas and extradited him to the United States to face criminal charges.

The Van Dyke case carries potential implications for Polymarket and other prediction markets platforms facing scrutiny from US lawmakers calling for elected officials to be barred from potentially betting on events with classified or nonpublic information. Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to all charges.