GoFundMe, an American crowdfunding platform, has canceled a fundraiser that aimed to collect legal fees for Roman Storm, the co-founder of the controversial cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, and its developer, Alexey Pertsev.
On January 22, Storm released a video requesting community members to contribute funds for their legal battle against the United States authorities, who accused them of facilitating the bypass of U.S. sanctions.
Although the Tornado Cash duo started receiving donations from supporters, GoFundMe canceled the fundraiser on February 14, stating that it violated their terms of service, particularly Term 22. According to this term, the Tornado Cash fundraiser for legal fees could potentially expose GoFundMe, its employees, or users to harm or liability.
As a result, many donors, including Ryan Adams of Bankless Ventures, had their donations returned. Adams has pledged to send his original contribution of $10,000 back to Storm using cryptocurrencies. GoFundMe confirmed that the funds will be returned to the donor’s bank account within three to seven business days.
During its existence, the Tornado Cash GoFundMe campaign managed to collect $30,000 in donations. Storm and Pertsev are aiming to raise $1.5 million to cover their legal fees in the United States. Currently, they are relying on the crypto funding platform JuiceBox, where they have gathered 316.75 Ether (ETH).
The Tornado Cash community is questioning GoFundMe’s decision to cancel the fundraisers, as the platform has allowed similar campaigns in the past.
Storm and Pertsev face charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to violate sanctions, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. However, they maintain their innocence regarding the money laundering and sanctions violation charges. Storm has been released from jail on a $2 million bond but is restricted from traveling outside certain regions of New York, New Jersey, Washington, and California.