An Ethereum developer known on X as “Fede’s intern” recently donated $500,000 to support the legal defense of Roman Storm, the founder of Tornado Cash. This generous move comes after the developer himself was recently detained in Turkey over allegations tied to privacy protocols.
I decided to donate $500K to @rstormsf’s legal defense. Originally, we planned to give $50K, but after what happened to me, I need to take a clear position so everyone understands what @class_lambda stands for.
I understand that the @ethereumfndn will be matching donations up to…
— Fede’s intern 🥊 (@fede_intern) August 11, 2025
He was held by Turkish authorities upon arriving in Izmir, accused of assisting others in misusing Ethereum through a privacy-related protocol. During his detention, he faced restrictions, including no access to his phone or legal counsel. According to him, friends and international supporters helped secure his release.
Clarifying Research and Legal Support
In his tweet, Fede’s intern clarified that his work focused on academic research analyzing privacy protocols like Tornado Cash. His team created code and published papers demonstrating methods to deanonymize users. However, they did not develop privacy features or support illegal activities.
Moreover, he emphasized the important distinction between conducting academic research and engaging in wrongdoing. He also highlighted the challenges developers face in the fields of privacy and decentralization.
After his detention, the developer pledged $500,000 to support Roman Storm’s legal defense fund. The Ethereum Foundation matched this donation, doubling the total amount of support.
Together, these efforts aim to strengthen open-source innovation and decentralization as key elements for the future growth of crypto technologies.
Building a Decentralized Future
Fede’s intern emphasized that open source and decentralization are essential for building the new internet. He argued that defending builders who challenge existing norms is critical for technological progress.
“When we stop defending our innovators, we stop building the future,” he said.
His team works at the intersection of cryptography, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Despite growing regulatory pressure, they remain committed to advancing their research and development in these fields.
“Our mission is to help build the highways of the new internet in sustainable ways. Economic sustainability is one part of that, but not the only one. We also exist to counterbalance the natural pull toward centralization, a side effect of pure optimization,” he tweeted.
Ephraim Emmanuel | June 17, 2026
