US DOJ Clears Crypto Developers – Write Code, No Crime (Seriously?)

by

Well, well, well! It seems that after all the drama surrounding Tornado Cash’s founder, Roman Storm (yes, you heard that right, *Storm*), the mighty U.S. Justice Department has decided to throw a little lifeline to crypto developers. Now, they claim that writing code for decentralized platforms to transmit cryptocurrencies without any criminal intention is apparently not a crime. Shocking, right? 😂

Matthew Galeotti, the Acting Assistant Attorney General from the DOJ’s criminal division, made this earth-shattering announcement at the American Innovation Project Summit in Jackson, Wyoming. He boldly proclaimed that the DOJ is moving away from charging developers simply for failing to register as a money transmitter. “Merely writing code, without ill intent, is not a crime,” he said. Well, thank goodness for that, or I guess all programmers would be in jail by now. 💻💥

Now, money transmitters like Western Union and Venmo are required to play by the rules. They need licenses, vet customers, and report anything shady to avoid money laundering. These rules have created a constant headache for the crypto world, particularly decentralized exchanges, which often argue they can’t possibly keep track of everything that happens on their platforms. 🙄

And just when you think it can’t get crazier, the DOJ announces that they’ve disbanded their national cryptocurrency enforcement team. It’s as if they’re saying, “Okay, we’re done with this crypto nonsense, you guys go ahead and play.” It’s almost like a regulatory vacation! 😎

Echos After Tornado Cash’s Roman Storm

In a twist that could only be written in a drama series, back in July, a jury found Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash (the company making it harder to track crypto transactions), guilty of conspiracy for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Anti-corruption folks love to point fingers at such companies for allegedly making money laundering a breeze. 🙄

Roman, however, had his defense ready. “I was just writing code,” he claimed. The jury, ever so indecisive, couldn’t quite decide if he was guilty of money laundering and evading sanctions. A real nail-biter, right? 🔍💸

Read More

2025-08-22 16:06