Dragonfly Capital could possibly be the goal of federal expenses stemming from its early funding in Twister Money developer PepperSec, Inc., however the enterprise agency says it’s ready to “vigorously defend” itself if prosecutors pursue the case.
In a Friday social media post, Dragonfly Capital managing accomplice Haseeb Qureshi defended the agency’s early backing of Twister Money — an open-source protocol that permits customers to obscure blockchain transactions — relationship again to August 2020.
“We made this funding as a result of we imagine within the significance of open-source privacy-preserving expertise,” mentioned Qureshi, including that the corporate had consulted exterior authorized counsel earlier than investing and was assured Twister Money was compliant.
Regardless of this authorized opinion, Twister Money builders Roman Storm and Roman Semenov had been charged with cash laundering and sanctions violations by the US Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of New York in August 2023.
Storm’s felony trial is underway in New York, the place he faces federal expenses that might result in more than 40 years in prison.
On Friday, prosecutors indicated they could pursue expenses towards Dragonfly for its funding within the Twister Money crew 5 years in the past.
“We imagine the federal government’s assertion in court docket right this moment was primarily to undermine a protection of Twister Money,” Qureshi mentioned, including that bringing expenses in any case this time can be “outrageous.”
“We don’t imagine the DOJ would truly convey such absurd and groundless expenses. But when they do, we intend to vigorously defend ourselves,” he added.
Associated: Ethereum core developer testifies in Roman Storm defense as gov’t rests case
Devs declare Twister Money was a privateness instrument, however prosecutors don’t purchase it
Twister Money’s builders described the platform as a decentralized, non-custodial privateness instrument that enabled customers to ship and obtain digital property with out revealing their pockets historical past.
Also known as a “mixer,” it pooled cryptocurrencies from a number of customers earlier than redistributing them, successfully breaking the direct hyperlink between sending and receiving addresses.
In 2022, the US Treasury Division’s Workplace of International Belongings Management (OFAC) sanctioned Tornado Cash, alleging it facilitated multibillion-dollar cash laundering, supported cybercrime and posed a risk to nationwide safety. The instrument was additionally accused of obfuscating illicit transactions.
Regardless of sanctions and. felony investigations, Twister Money noticed a resurgence in 2024. Knowledge from Flipside Crypto confirmed $1.9 billion in deposits throughout the first six months of that yr.
Associated: Judge allows testimony on ‘feasible’ Tornado Cash code changes
