Twister Money co-founder Roman Storm’s legal professionals may ask for a mistrial over a authorities witness they declare had nothing to do with the crypto mixer.
Storm’s defence floated the thought of a mistrial with Manhattan federal choose Katherine Polk Failla on Monday, questioning the testimony of presidency witness Hanfeng Lin on Tuesday, Interior Metropolis Press reported.
If allowed, a mistrial ruling would see Storm’s trial thought-about invalid because of a judicial error — which on this case could possibly be proof that ought to have been excluded — and it could possibly be dismissed in its entirety or retried with a brand new choose and jury.
Storm is dealing with as much as 45 years in jail after being charged in 2023 with cash laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to violate US sanctions, and conspiring to run an unlicensed cash laundering enterprise in reference to Twister Money, the crypto mixing service he co-founded.
He was charged alongside fellow co-founder Roman Semenov, who has not appeared in court docket and is believed to be in his native Russia.
Authorities witness recounts crypto rip-off
Lin, the federal government’s witness, took the stand on Tuesday and delivered a sworn statement on how she was conned out of $190,000 by a crypto romance scammer over WhatsApp.
In accordance with reporter David Morris, Lin was approached on-line by an individual in 2022 who satisfied her to purchase Bitcoin (BTC) by a crypto alternate and withdraw it to a purported buying and selling website which falsely confirmed she was making excessive returns, which enticed her to ship extra.
She mentioned her funds had been stolen, and the crypto restoration service Payback instructed her that a few of her Bitcoin was despatched by Twister Money.
“Primarily based on our analysis over the weekend, we will’t discover that any of Ms. Lin’s funds went to Twister Money,” Storm’s lawyer David Patton mentioned, in line with Interior Metropolis Press. “We have to seek advice from Mr. Storm about shifting for a mistrial.”
Authorities knowledgeable says he didn’t have a look at Lin’s case
Information outlet The Rage reported that Storm’s legal professionals cross-examined authorities crypto tracing knowledgeable FBI Particular Agent Joseph DeCapua, who mentioned he had not been instructed to research Lin’s transactions.
DeCapua had beforehand testified to element the alleged move of crypto from hacks and into Twister Money. Storm’s lawyer Patton mentioned the defence anticipated him to attach Lin’s flows to the protocol, however “apparently he hasn’t.”
Prosecutors reportedly mentioned they’d name in IRS analyst Stephan George, one other crypto tracing knowledgeable, to point out Lin’s funds touched Twister Money.
Crypto sleuths solid doubt on Lin’s testimony
It’s not identified what analysis Storm’s defence staff carried out, however blockchain researchers not too long ago claimed on social media that onchain transactions tied to Lin’s scammers present the funds by no means touched Twister Money.
Associated: What that you must learn about Roman Storm’s Twister Money trial
MetaMask safety researcher Taylor Monahan posted on X on Friday that Lin’s scammers didn’t use Twister Money, and detailed how she traced Lin’s funds.
Monahan mentioned the scammers swapped Lin’s Bitcoin for Ether (ETH) and the transaction was bundled onchain with others that Payback, the crypto tracing agency Lin employed, mistakenly famous as originating from the scammer.
Blockchain analyst ZachXBT additionally agreed with Monahan’s conclusion and criticized Payback’s evaluation.
“[I don’t know] the way you mess up the tracing that dangerous as a agency to the place you couldn’t correctly comply with prompt alternate deposits 1 hop from a theft tackle after which comply with subsequent txns down the incorrect path to Twister [Cash], ZachXBT wrote.
Journal: Twister Money 2.0 — The race to construct protected and authorized coin mixers
