The Roman Storm Verdict | Peter Van Valkenburgh & David Morris
Welcome to BanklessTV, featuring Peter Van Valkenburgh from Coin Center and David Morris of The Rage, freshly back from the SDNY courtroom with the inside scoop on the Roman Storm verdict. In this episode we unpack the split decision—how Storm beat the money-laundering and sanctions-evasion counts yet was found guilty on the hot-button “unlicensed money-transmission” charge—and what that single conviction means for every non-custodial developer in crypto. Peter breaks down the legal tightrope between FinCEN guidance and DOJ prosecution, outlines three clear appeal paths (including the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act), and explains why Roman’s case could still become a rallying point for financial-privacy legislation. David shares firsthand color from the trial: jury deadlocks, high-stakes witness drama, and the emotional moment Storm walked free to see his daughter. Join us to hear why this verdict is both a wake-up call and an opportunity, what Congress, the courts, and the next administration might do next, and how the outcome could reshape DeFi, privacy tech, and open-source innovation for years to come. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:28 Introduction to the Roman Storm Case 0:58 Reflections on the Verdict 3:37 Understanding the Charges 4:07 Breakdown of the Conspiracy Counts 8:40 The Sentencing Landscape 9:29 Courtroom Atmosphere and Reactions 11:18 The Appeal Process 15:20 Roman's Optimism After the Verdict 17:08 Legal Standards and Implications 21:58 The Role of FinCEN Guidance 26:03 The Bigger Picture for DeFi 29:25 Jury Dynamics Explained 34:08 Optimistic Outcomes and Future Paths 36:25 Legislative Changes Ahead 39:54 The Potential for Re-prosecution 47:43 The Impact of Political Climate 51:37 Paths to Clarity in Legislation 55:45 The Future of Non-Custodial Projects 1:02:08 The Importance of Precedent 1:08:27 Closing Thoughts on the Case 1:09:13 A Call to Action for Support 1:15:37 Supporting the Cause 1:18:13 Final Reflections on the Journey ------ RESOURCES Support The Rage’s on-the-ground reporting https://therage.co/donate Support Coin Center’s policy work (fiat & crypto options) https://coincenter.org/donate ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures