Crypto advocacy group Coin Middle has criticized the most recent indictment of two former Twister Money builders, arguing that the info supplied do not present any clear violations of money-transmitting-related offenses.
Roman Storm and Romen Semenov had been indicted by the US Workplace of International Asset Management (OFAC) on Aug. 23 for conspiring to function an unlicensed money-transmitting enterprise, amongst different prices.
In a follow-up opinion piece, Coin Middle analysis director Peter Van Valkenburgh argues that the claims within the indictment seem to run counter to steering from the U.S. Monetary Crimes Enforcement Community — arguing that Twister Money solely gives the software program to transmit cash, somewhat than transmitting the cash itself.
New Twister Money indictments appear to run counter to FinCEN steering
Coin Middle’s preliminary ideas on a case that would doubtlessly criminalize the publication of software program codehttps://t.co/YCBv3vsZAE
— Neeraj Ok Agrawal (@NeerajKA) August 23, 2023
“The one factor the indictment claims relating to the defendants’ unlicensed cash transmission is that they ‘engaged within the enterprise of transferring funds on behalf of the general public’ and did so with out registering with FinCEN,” wrote Valkenburgh.
However does the indictment state any info that truly present that the defendants engaged in any actions that qualify as cash transmission underneath the related regulation?
He pointed to an interpretation by FinCEN as to what constitutes “cash transmission providers” underneath the U.S. Financial institution Secrecy Act, which states:
“An anonymizing software program supplier will not be a cash transmitter.”
Valkenburgh then referred to a different excerpt stating that solely folks utilizing the software program could be thought of cash transmitters:
“[A] individual that makes use of the software program to anonymize the individual’s personal transactions will probably be both a consumer or a cash transmitter, relying on the aim of every transaction.”
Whereas Valkenburgh stated that Twister Money made it simpler for people to make use of the protocol’s good contracts to transmit cash, he argued it doesn’t imply that the builders had been cash transmitters themselves.
“[But] that doesn’t one way or the other imply that they turned transmitters merely as a result of they offered instruments that others used to transmit their very own cash,” Valkenburgh defined.
Valkenburgh additionally criticized claims within the indictment suggesting that Storm and Semenov had full management over the protocol’s good contracts.
“Ethereum good contracts are variable and typically folks haven’t any management over their operation, some management, or whole management. That is the important thing truth wanted to find out whether or not one is performing cash transmission, he argued.
Associated: Crypto lobbyists nonetheless preventing to axe ‘illegal’ Twister Money sanctions
Coin Middle first voiced its opposition towards the U.S. Treasury in October when it sued the company for its unprecedented and illegal sanctioning of Twister Money.
The OFAC indictment claims Storm and Semenov ran an unlicensed cash transmission service by partaking within the enterprise of transferring funds on behalf of the general public. The enforcement company claimed the builders ought to have registered with FinCEN.
Semenov was added to OFAC’s listing of Specifically Designated Nationals and Blocked Individuals on Aug. 23, whereas Storm was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington state on the identical day.
Alexey Pertsev, one other one in all Twister Money’s founders, was imprisoned by Dutch authorities in Aug. 2022 earlier than being launched in late April.
Valkenburgh believes the result of the Twister Money saga may have a profound influence on the authorized rights of United States residents to construct and publish software program sooner or later.
Journal: Journal: Twister Money 2.0 — The race to construct secure and authorized coin mixers