#Encrypted Developers Sue Attorney General#

Michael Lewellen, a researcher at cryptocurrency think tank Coin Center, has sued U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in Texas, asking a judge to ensure the Justice Department won't prosecute his upcoming cryptocurrency project for violating money transmitting laws. Lewellen argues that the Justice Department's criminal prosecutions of software developers who release non-custodial cryptocurrency software, such as the prosecutions of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm and Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez, are unconstitutional, violating the First and Fifth Amendments. He believes the Justice Department's prosecution of cryptocurrency developers "betrays its statements to the public," that they will not be treated as money transmitters unless they have "complete independent control" over the value transferred. Lewellen's lawsuit comes amidst growing concerns about government persecution of crypto privacy software developers, both in the United States and abroad. Lewellen's lawsuit seeks to avoid the fate of Rodrigez and Storm, as his upcoming project, Pharos, is essentially a crypto-based Kickstarter that will use smart contracts to ensure that donors automatically receive their money back if the project is underfunded, and includes privacy features to prevent the identities of project donors from being disclosed. Lewellen, as the creator and publisher of the Pharos software, will only receive a predetermined fee if the project is successful, and he claims that he will "never control any cryptocurrency that passes through Pharos."