After the Biden administration reigned terror on people and companies with its crackdown on cryptocurrency, a growing cohort of individuals—incarcerated or embroiled in litigation—has become collateral in what many decry as ideological overreach. Advocates argue that accusations against these figures lack merit, framing the legal onslaught as antithetical to principles of fairness and justice.

Proponents of crypto and freedom posit that U.S. President Trump could rectify this by dismantling the lawfare that weaponized justice. Below lies an inventory of those caught in the crosshairs of what detractors label a morally bankrupt legal gambit.

Roman Storm:

Roman Storm has been accused of money laundering and violating sanctions due to his alleged involvement in facilitating illicit transactions through Tornado Cash, an Ethereum mixing protocol. The fundamental flaw in these charges is that Storm merely contributed to the development of an open-source platform governed by immutable smart contracts.

Roman Storm

The platform operates independently, its logic dictated by code rather than by the whims of its creators. Neither Storm nor his fellow developers had the power to control how individuals utilized the technology—it functioned autonomously, impervious to interference. The best way to help Storm is donate to his legal defense fund, participate in the JusticeDAO, and raise awareness about his case.

Roman Semenov:

Semenov has been charged in the same case, facing accusations identical to those levied against Storm. Yet, the indictment ignores a crucial reality: the developers exercised no authority over who engaged with the protocol.

Roman Semenov

Furthermore, a ruling from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court in Nov. 2024 explicitly deemed the sanctions imposed on Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts unlawful, affirming that such contracts do not constitute “property” or “entities” subject to sanction laws.

Alexey Pertsev:

Alexey Pertsev was arrested in the Netherlands in 2022 and, in May 2024, convicted of money laundering. His sentence—more than five years in prison—was justified on the grounds that he allegedly enabled the laundering of $1.2 billion, including transactions linked to North Korean hackers.

Alexey Pertsev

Yet this verdict is an affront to justice. Open-source code, by its nature, is a form of expression, protected under free speech principles. It embodies philosophical and cultural assertions about financial privacy—a right intrinsic to human liberty. To prosecute a developer for the actions of others is not only irrational but profoundly unjust. While he was prosecuted in the Netherlands, Pertsev is a victim of unjust lawfare. Similarly, people can donate and participate in the JusticeDAO to help Semenov and his co-defendant.

Ian Freeman:

Libertarian activist and co-founder of Free Talk Live, Ian Freeman, was sentenced in 2023 to eight years in federal prison for operating an unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange. In essence, he facilitated bitcoin transactions through an automated teller machine (ATM).

Ian Freeman

His prosecution exemplifies the federal government’s aggressive overreach and selective enforcement, wielded as a means of stifling innovation. Regulatory ambiguity in the crypto sector has fostered a climate where individuals like Freeman are persecuted for navigating an undefined legal terrain—a space the government itself refuses to clarify. In order to help Freeman, people can raise awareness about his case regularly and sign the petition for his freedom at freeiannow.org. People can also follow Free Ian Now on X, Facebook, and Truth Social for updates on his case.

Roger Ver:

Roger Ver, a prominent crypto advocate and entrepreneur often referred to as “Bitcoin Jesus,” faces tax fraud charges that critics have condemned as excessive and politically motivated. Ver has adamantly maintained his innocence, emphasizing that he worked alongside legal counsel to ensure full compliance with tax laws.

Roger Ver

Figures such as Vitalik Buterin, Ross Ulbricht, and Tucker Carlson and many others have decried the case, contending that it exemplifies government overreach, the murkiness of cryptocurrency tax regulations, and bias against Ver for promoting individual liberty. Ver himself has argued that he acted in good faith within a regulatory framework deliberately left vague—an ambiguity that now serves as a weapon against him. His case demands immediate dismissal. To support Ver, people can sign the petition for his freedom at freerogernow.org and spread awareness about his legal case. People can also read his Motion to Dismiss which highlights the government’s overreach and violating his fundamental right to attorney-client privilege.

Keonne Rodriguez:

Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Samourai Wallet, created a non-custodial tool designed to facilitate bitcoin mixing—a function no different from that of Tornado Cash. Like Storm, Pertsev, and Semenov, Rodriguez is being punished not for wrongdoing, but for developing open-source code. He now faces charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.

Keonne Rodriguez

The absurdity of this prosecution is apparent: Samourai Wallet is a non-custodial tool that enables peer-to-peer transactions, an innovation that should be celebrated, not criminalized. The case establishes a dangerous precedent—one that imperils financial privacy and technological advancement by treating neutral tools as criminal instruments. To support Rodriguez people can donate to the Samourai Wallet legal defense fund and raise awareness about this case.

William Hill:

William Hill, also a founder of Samourai Wallet, faces the same charges as Rodriguez: conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitter. This attack on privacy-preserving technologies serves only to stifle innovation and dissuade developers from creating tools that safeguard individual freedoms in financial transactions. The claim that Samourai Wallet facilitated $2 billion in “unlawful” transactions is misleading; a significant portion of those funds likely consisted of legal transactions conducted privately. Privacy is not a crime, and the ability to mix coins should not be subject to persecution. Simarly to Rodriguez, people can donate to the Samourai Wallet legal defense fund to help Hill’s case.

The list of those ensnared by the legal system extends beyond the high-profile cases outlined above, encompassing a diverse array of individuals whose stories further illuminate the breadth of this issue. Those currently imprisoned include Ian Freeman, a libertarian activist and peer-to-peer bitcoin seller, as well as Mark Figuroa, Trung Nguyen, Alan Joseph, Raul Rodriguez, Roman Sterlingov, and Austin Nedved—all targeted for their involvement in bitcoin transactions, often through platforms like Localbitcoins. Their sentences, ranging from a decade to over 12 years, have been criticized as disproportionate, with advocates contending that these cases reflect a broader pattern of punitive measures against those operating in regulatory gray areas.

The roster of those who have completed their sentences is equally extensive, featuring figures like Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins, Thomas “Morpheus” Costanzo, Chengpeng Zhao (CZ), and members of the Crypto Six group, including Aria DiMezzo, Nobody (Richard Goyan Paul), Renee Spinella, and Andy Spinella. Localbitcoins sellers such as Bradley Anthony Stetkiw, Pascal Reid, Jason Klein, Randall Lord, Jacob Burrell, Kais Mohammad, and Theresa Lynn Tetley also populate this list. Their experiences highlight the lasting repercussions of prosecutions that many view as overzealous, even after sentences have been served.

Additional cases further complicate the narrative. Michael Lord, who pleaded guilty to unlicensed money transmission and drug-related charges, remains incarcerated. Kunal Kalra, implicated in unlicensed money transmission, represents another facet of this legal crackdown. Meanwhile, Frank Richard Ahlgren III’s imprisonment for tax-related offenses tied to bitcoin sales highlights the government’s aggressive pursuit of perceived financial noncompliance. Together, these cases paint a vivid picture of a system critics argue prioritizes punishment over justice, often at the expense of innovation and individual liberty.

Each of these cases exemplifies the same fundamental injustice: the criminalization of neutrality, the prosecution of developers for the independent actions of others, and the use of regulatory ambiguity as a weapon against innovation. These individuals are not criminals—they are the collateral damage of a state desperate to exert control over a financial system designed to resist coercion.

President Donald Trump should immediately pardon or dismiss the cases against these individuals, as their prosecutions represent governmental overreach and a fundamental misunderstanding of open-source technology. Such actions would affirm the principles of individual liberty and free market capitalism, ensuring that creators and entrepreneurs are not unjustly penalized for gray undefined regulations and the autonomous functions of their code.

To raise awareness about these injustices, individuals can contact Senators and lawmakers via phone, email, or social media, attend town halls, or write letters or op-eds. People can also reach out to Trump’s close contacts through public appeals, petitions, or influential advocates can also amplify the cause. Raising awareness helps mobilize public support, pressures policymakers to address regulatory overreach, and fosters a broader understanding of the importance of protecting innovation, privacy, and individual liberties in the crypto space.

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