The U.S. Department of Justice cites the Bitcoin Fog ruling to oppose Roman Storm's motion for acquittal

U.S. federal prosecutors cited the appellate ruling related to the cryptocurrency mixer Bitcoin Fog as a supplementary basis against the not guilty motion of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm. In documents submitted on Monday, the prosecution referenced the September 25 ruling by the appellate court that upheld the conviction and sentencing of Bitcoin Fog operator Roman Sterlingov. The District of Columbia Circuit Court found that Washington, D.C. had jurisdiction over all four charges: the money laundering charge was based on undercover agents completing Bitcoin Fog transactions in its D.C. office, while the unlicensed money transmission charge was supported by sufficient evidence showing that Bitcoin Fog had served clients in the area.

The prosecution stated that the ruling "directly supports" its position in the Storm case, arguing that Tornado Cash's activities in Manhattan were sufficient to establish jurisdiction in the Southern District of New York for the conspiracy charges of money laundering and unlicensed money transmission against Storm, citing the testimony of Shakeeb Ahmed, who claimed to have used Tornado Cash in a Manhattan apartment. Judge Katherine Polk Failla has heard the arguments for the not guilty motion in April 2026 but has yet to rule. In August 2025, the jury found Storm guilty of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business, but deadlocked on the charges of money laundering and conspiracy to evade sanctions; Storm submitted a post-trial not guilty motion in September 2025, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove he intended to assist criminals in abusing Tornado Cash.