- Roman Storm faces U.S. money laundering and sanctions charges tied to Tornado Cash alleged illicit transfers since 2022.
- Donations drive aims close in nineteen days, while matching funds may secure high-end counsel for Storm’s court defense.
Vitalik Buterin announced that the Ethereum Foundation will match community donations for Roman Storm’s defense fund. Storm faces U.S. money laundering and sanctions charges related to Tornado Cash. This support underscores the network’s commitment to open code and user privacy.
Storm’s legal team warns that only 19 days remain to raise sufficient funds. With the Foundation doubling contributions, the campaign may secure high-caliber counsel as the case moves toward trial. For many developers, this effort defends the right to build private financial tools.
Tornado Cash drew U.S. sanctions in 2022 over alleged North Korean laundering of Axie Infinity hack proceeds. Since then, Storm’s prosecution has become a rallying point. The community views these charges as a test of free software development in finance.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury lifted Tornado Cash sanctions in March 2025. That offered renewed hope for DeFi projects and suggested a shift in regulatory approach. Thus, Storm’s case now plays out against a backdrop of changing policy.
Ethereum (ETH) is trading at $2,414.05, reflecting a 1.18% decline in the last 24 hours and a 3.97% drop over the past 7 days. With a market capitalization of approximately $291.4 billion and a daily trading volume exceeding $17.3 billion, Ethereum remains the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap.
Despite recent downward pressure, ETH continues to trade nearly 50% below its all-time high of $4,878, holding long-term structural support as it navigates through a period of consolidation.
Ethereum is currently resting just above the critical $2,400 support level, which has consistently served as a pivot throughout Q2. The technical structure shows that ETH remains below both its 20-day and 50-day exponential moving averages, while momentum indicators remain mixed.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is neutral around 46, signaling that the asset is neither overbought nor oversold. Meanwhile, the MACD indicator points to continued bearish divergence, highlighting the lack of conviction behind recent price attempts to recover.
Resistance is seen near $2,475–$2,500, and a break above that range would be necessary to confirm a shift back toward bullish momentum. If ETH fails to hold $2,400, support lies between $2,280 and $2,300, which aligns with the 100-day moving average and a key Fibonacci level.
From a fundamental and news perspective, Ethereum is facing increased scrutiny from technical analysts after a “death cross” appeared on the weekly chart, where the 50-week moving average crossed below the 200-week MA.
This historically lagging signal suggests a risk of extended sideways or bearish movement. At the same time, new tools such as Ledger’s MEV Max Vault are being deployed in Ethereum staking infrastructure to maximize extractable value for validators. If successful, this could increase staking yields and reduce the incentive to sell rewards on the open market, helping to stabilize ETH’s supply.
