More than 65 cryptocurrency firms and advocacy groups have urged U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene as prosecutors prepare to retry Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash. In a letter sent to Trump on Thursday, various organizations, including the Solana Policy Institute and the Blockchain Association, highlighted crucial requests regarding digital asset policies.

The letter particularly emphasized a plea for Trump to ask the Department of Justice to dismiss all pending charges against Storm and support the overturning of his conviction for operating an unlicensed money transmission service.

“Recognizing that Storm’s work on Tornado Cash represents the publication of open-source software – not a financial crime,” the letter stated. “Dropping the case would reaffirm the Administration’s commitment to protecting developers. Doing so will further support that code is speech under the First Amendment and signals that the U.S. will protect innovation.”
(Translation: Recognizing that Storm’s work on Tornado Cash signifies the release of open-source software - not a financial crime.)

Storm was previously found guilty in federal court of running an unlicensed money transmitting operation. He has denied the charges against him, insisting that “writing code is not a crime.”

(Translation: Writing code is not a crime.)

Two weeks after his verdict, a DOJ official remarked that “merely writing code, without ill intent, is not a crime.” However, tensions remain, as the interim US attorney for New York opposed his motion for acquittal. As of now, discussions regarding the case’s future are scheduled for January 22.