Semenov’s legal team requested the court to dismiss charges against their client. However, federal prosecutors have disputed this claim, stating that Semenov’s alleged involvement in maintaining the cryptomixer service was not limited to code development.
Prosecutors argue that Semenov was well aware of the service’s use in laundering illegal proceeds from hacker attacks and personally benefited from it:
“According to the prosecutor’s office, Tornado Cash was established as a commercial venture with the intent of generating profit or financial gain, and Semenov himself received income through his control over key components of the service.”
In late March, lawyers representing another Tornado Cash co-founder, Roman Storm, filed a petition in the New York District Court seeking to dismiss charges against their client for allegedly facilitating money laundering of over $1 billion. Storm’s defense argues that he could not have colluded with criminal groups involved in money laundering since he had no control over the cryptocurrency mixer. The defense also contends that Torrnado Cash cannot be considered a business as it did not charge any fees for its services.