Roman has been wrongfully accused of operating the Bitcoin Fog mixing service.
The Government's entire case rests upon shoddy, inaccurate, heuristic blockchain tracing done by black-box blockchain surveillance firm Chainalysis. This is the first time Chainalysis's work will be put on trial.
If you are interested in this case, want to help in Roman's defense, or want to donate to the cause, please feel free to reach out to me.
#FreeRoman
Just heard the interview on “What Bitcoin Did”. This whole situation is disgusting, a real travesty.
Thanks! Its a crazy story. We need all the help we can gather to get Roman out of jail. Please help to spread the word.
TOMORROW'S EVENT
Profits Over Justice: The Disturbing American #Bitcoin Prosecution of Roman Sterlingov
Twitter:
@TorEkelandPLLC & @mikehassard
Miami Beach Convention Center
Open Source Stage
1901 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
May 20, 2023
14:30
#FreeRoman
We have already made some progress in this case. At the hearing to release his seized assets, while the judge declined to release the funds, he included in his opinion that mixing per se is LEGAL.
This is the first time (that we know of) that a federal judge has affirmatively stated that mixing is legal in a judicial order.
One step at a time.
#FreeRoman
Roman Sterlingov is wrongfully accused of operating Bitcoin Fog, a #Bitcoin mixing service. This is the first in a series of threads I will post in an effort to spread word of this unjust prosecution.
In 2003, Roman moves from Russia to Jönköping with his mother. At school he excels in math and science and loves learning about technology. In 2010, he first hears about bitcoin. He is excited by this new technology and learns how to set up wallets & funds them with his paycheck.
In 2011 BTC trades at ~$0.30. Roman travels to Bitcoin meetups as they begin to proliferate across Europe. At these meetups, Roman meets like-minded individuals and helps them set up wallets of their own.
Roman purchases bitcoin in bulk and sells it p2p to bitcoin newcomers at the meetups, helping them begin their own Bitcoin journeys.
I had the pleasure of attending some #Bitcoin meetups in Europe last month. We spoke in Zürich, Munich, Berlin and Stuttgart. I understand why Roman was attracted to these meetups. They were fun, social, and filled with lovely people who have optimistic visions for the future.
At one of these meetups, someone tells Roman he should mix his Bitcoin before selling it to people he doesn't know. At this time there is no Bitcoin marketplace - like Kraken or Coinbase - all transaction are done peer-to-peer and require a level of trust.
Roman learns that when he makes Bitcoin transactions, his wallet address becomes public. He worries that someone could target him and steal his funds. From this point on, Roman incorporates mixing into his personal privacy practices when transferring #Bitcoin.
In 2014, Roman creates a Kraken account and begins using it as his daily Bitcoin account. By this time Bitcoin had appreciated to ~$475. Roman leaves his job and lives off the appreciation of his investment.
Roman uses Bitcoin Fog to send Bitcoin from his early wallets, through Bitcoin Fog, to a Kraken account held in his real name with KYC authentication.
By 2017 Roman's realizes he's spent a lot of his Bitcoin. Bitcoin is continuing to appreciate, but Roman isn't accumulating any new Bitcoin. He tries his hand at trading & multiple business ventures including a VPN, a music studio & a life coaching business. All his efforts fail.
In search of a career and a stable income, Roman enrolls in a commercial pilot licensing class in California. In April 2021, he flies to LAX where he is arrested by the FBI and accused of operating Bitcoin Fog for the past seven years.
Confused and shocked, Roman is stunned to hear that he is accused of creating and operating Bitcoin Fog. He gets locked up in California where a Magistrate judge issues an order for him to be "detained indefinitely".
Roman is transferred to the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia where he remains to this day. Trapped in a Kafkaesque nightmare in a place he's never set foot in.
The government has seized all of Roman's remaining assets, and the Court will not release them to fund his defense.
Next week I'll post a thread about Chainalysis Inc., and their involvement in this case. I'll discuss how the government relies on unproven, heuristic analysis from Chainalysis, and how their black-box blockchain surveillance techniques do not meet scientific forensic standards.
Please consider donating to Roman's legal defense funds: www.torekeland.com
Please spread word of this unjust prosecution.
I am at BTC23 in Miami, if anyone wants to discuss this case, don't be shy. I will be speaking about this case on Saturday at 2:30 pm on the Open Source stage.
#FreeRoman
Just shot a podcast for What Bitcoin Did with Peter McCormack and Danny Knowles. We discussed Roman's case, how the profit motive distorts justice, and why heuristic blockchain tracing by Chainalysis should never be admitted at trial.
We have arrived in Miami. Tor and I are shooting a podcast for "What Bitcoin Did" with Peter McCormack.
We will be discussing Roman's case, its implications across the Bitcoin ecosystem, and how this case is a perfect opportunity to challenge Chainalysis's black-box digital forensics.
#FreeRoman
Our first podcast on Roman's case was the MoneroTalk podcast with Doug Truman!
This podcast got the ball rolling on public interest in the case.
Please consider donating to Roman's legal defense fund. It can be found at www.torekeland.com, or on Geyser.
Thanks to Matt Odell for having us on his Citadel Dispatch podcast to discus Roman's case.
Roman is an innocent Bitcoin user who used the Bitcoin Fog mixer to secure his personal privacy interests.
Now, because of Chainalysis' sloppy, inaccurate and incomplete blockchain forensics, Roman stands accused of operating and administrating Bitcoin Fog. He has been locked up over 2 years while he awaits his trial.
There is no corroborating evidence and the prosecution relies completely on Chainalysis' faulty forensics.
Please consider donating to Roman's legal defense.
Check out our podcast on Citidel Dispatch, and please, spread word of this wrongful prosecution. Together we can #FreeRoman.
It was a pleasure speaking on the Vonu Podcast about the unjust prosecution of innocent Bitcoiner Roman Sterlingov.
Thanks for giving us a platform to spread the word.
#FreeRoman #BTCLÄNDLE
Upon recommendation from our friends at Bitcoin im Ländle, we have created a Geyser fund for Roman's case.
The government has seized his assets, and Roman need funding for his defense.
Please share this post to help spread word of this wrongful prosecution.
#FreeRoman
US v. Sterlingov presents a prime opportunity to challenge black-box blockchain forensics, particularly those done by #Chainalysis.
Thanks to @SwissRoadCrypto for having me and @TorEkelandPLLC on The Swiss Road to Crypto.
#FreeRoman #Bitcoin
#FreeRoman