Judge Presses Deadlocked Jury in Tornado Cash Founder Roman Storm Trial

A federal jury deliberating the criminal case against Roman Storm, the co-founder of cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, told U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla on Wednesday that it is deadlocked on some of the charges. In response, Judge Failla issued an “Allen charge,” a standard instruction urging jurors to re-examine the evidence and attempt to reach unanimous agreement.

Storm is accused of conspiring to launder digital assets allegedly funneled through Tornado Cash by North Korea’s Lazarus Group hacking unit. The panel’s note came on the fourth day of deliberations in the Southern District of New York, following a three-week trial that focused on whether Storm knowingly facilitated sanctions violations and money-laundering offenses.

If jurors remain unable to agree, the court has indicated it will accept a partial verdict on the counts where consensus has been reached, while prosecutors would retain the option to seek a retrial on the unresolved charges. Deliberations continued Wednesday afternoon under the renewed instructions.

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