Tornado Cash: The Crypto Drama That Just Won’t Quit! 😂💸

by

Ah, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), that venerable institution of financial oversight, has decided to lift the veil of sanctions from Tornado Cash, a crypto mixing service that has danced on the edge of legality like a tipsy ballerina at a wedding. 🎉

This momentous decision, akin to a court declaring that a particularly mischievous cat cannot be held accountable for its nocturnal escapades, follows a November 2024 ruling. The court, in its infinite wisdom, concluded that OFAC had overstepped its bounds by sanctioning the very smart contracts of Tornado Cash, which, according to U.S. law, are not “property.” Who knew that lines of code could be so elusive? 🤔

On March 18, 2025, the Treasury announced its grand intention to delist Tornado Cash, and by March 21, 2025, the deed was done. Yet, in a twist worthy of a Russian novel, one of its founders, the enigmatic Roman Semenov, remains ensnared in the web of sanctions. His designation has been tweaked, mind you—his cyber-related activities tag has vanished like a magician’s rabbit, but he still finds himself linked to North Korea-related sanctions. Quite the conundrum! 🐇

Let us not forget the sordid history of Tornado Cash, which was blacklisted in August 2022 after being accused of laundering a staggering $7 billion in crypto. This included funds pilfered from notorious hacks, such as the $455 million heist from the Axie Infinity Ronin Bridge, the $96 million from the Harmony Bridge, and a paltry $7.8 million from the Nomad hack. A veritable buffet of digital mischief! 🍽️

Even with the lifting of sanctions, the founders, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, find themselves in a legal quagmire, charged in August 2023 with money laundering and sanctions violations. It seems that the saga of Tornado Cash is far from over, much like a never-ending Russian winter. ❄️

Read More

2025-03-21 18:46