The Blockchain Association, a well-known crypto advocacy group, is offering its support to the two developers of Tornado Cash, a mixing service, in their legal battle against the United States.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, the founders of Tornado Cash, with assisting the North Korean hacking group Lazarus in laundering illicit funds through their mixing service.

Last week, Storm’s lawyers argued for the case to be dropped, stating that the developer merely created decentralized software solutions to provide financial privacy to legitimate cryptocurrency users, which is not technically a crime.

Now, the Blockchain Association is submitting an amicus brief in support of Roman Storm and the government’s prosecution of the two founders.

In a statement, the Blockchain Association said, “Today, the Blockchain Association filed an amicus brief in United States v. Storm, highlighting a critical flaw in the government’s prosecution of Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Roman Semenov. The indictment’s portrayal of the government’s money-transmitter charges lacks substance, primarily because the indictment fails to allege facts demonstrating the defendants’ or Tornado Cash’s control over the funds at issue.”

An amicus brief is a legal document filed by a non-involved party in an appellate court case. These briefs, written by “friends of the court,” aim to provide additional information or arguments to assist the court in making its decision.

Marisa Coppel, the Head of Legal at the Blockchain Association, commented on the case, saying, “Adoption of the government’s legal theory would not only have adverse repercussions for the digital asset industry but also raise serious concerns regarding fintech more generally. We urge the court to hold the government up to its burden and dismiss the unfounded charges, safeguarding both the defendants’ rights and the integrity of the burgeoning digital asset sector.”

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