US prosecutors have proposed a timetable that would keep the legal fight over Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm alive into late 2026, after a jury was unable to reach a verdict on two of three charges in his case. Separately, a federal judge set a response schedule for Celsius ex-CEO Alex Mashinsky’s bid to vacate his prison sentence, while another court ordered December 2026 trial dates for a US soldier accused of insider trading involving a Polymarket event contract.
Key takeaways
- Roman Storm’s retrial schedule hinges on a pending Rule 29 acquittal request, with prosecutors proposing a late-October or November 2026 path.
- Alex Mashinsky’s motion to vacate his 12-year sentence faces a mid-August government response deadline after a judge granted time for prosecutors to reply.
- A judge set pretrial motion timelines leading to jury selection on Dec. 7, 2026, for Gannon Ken Van Dyke in the Polymarket insider trading case.
- All three matters underline how US courts are increasingly focused on individual criminal exposure tied to crypto-adjacent conduct, code, and trading activity.
Prosecutors press for late-2026 retrial in Roman Storm case
Federal prosecutors submitted a proposed schedule on Monday for a potential retrial of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm, whose earlier trial ended without a complete conviction. Storm was found guilty on one of three charges connected to illegal money transmitting in 2025, but the jury deadlocked on the remaining two counts, setting up the possibility of a new trial on those charges.
The filing, submitted in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), included a proposed Oct. 20 date for a final pretrial conference. That milestone would point to a potential trial start in late October or November 2026, depending on how the court handles a defense motion.
Critically, prosecutors noted the timeline is contingent on a Rule 29 motion filed by Storm requesting acquittal on the unresolved charges. If the court denies that request, the retrial scheduling would move forward under the proposed plan.
The outcome of the next phase could carry significant implications for the crypto industry, particularly for developers and teams concerned about the scope of criminal liability tied to software code. If a retrial is scheduled, Storm could again face two remaining counts: conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions.
Earlier coverage from Cointelegraph noted that Storm’s initial verdict stemmed from charges tied to illegal money transmission conduct, with the jury’s partial deadlock now shaping what comes next.
Mashinsky sentence-vacate request: prosecutors get until mid-August
In a separate SDNY proceeding, Judge John Koeltl granted a request that effectively sets a deadline for the government to respond to Alex Mashinsky’s pro se motion to vacate his sentence. Mashinsky, the former CEO of Celsius, sought to overturn his 12-year prison term that was imposed following a May 2025 sentence.
According to a Saturday filing in the US District Court for SDNY, prosecutors have until mid-August to file their response. With that window set, the judge indicated the court could receive the government’s answer before the end of the year, depending on further scheduling.
The timing matters because Mashinsky’s request comes after he reported to federal prison following the May 2025 sentence. Mashinsky had been indicted in 2023 alongside Roni Cohen-Pavon on charges related to fraud and market manipulation, and Celsius filed for bankruptcy in 2022 during a market downturn that preceded the collapse of several major crypto firms.
As reported previously by Cointelegraph, Mashinsky’s motion asks the court to vacate the sentence that led to his imprisonment. In the criminal case, the former CEO was ordered to pay $48 million in forfeiture. Cohen-Pavon, meanwhile, received a time-served sentence and was ordered to pay more than $1 million plus a $40,000 fine.
Cointelegraph’s earlier reporting covered the filing that prompted the court’s current procedural steps.
SDNY sets December 2026 trial in Polymarket insider trading case
In the Polymarket-related insider trading matter, Judge Margaret Garnett has set a December 2026 trial timetable for Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a US soldier charged after prosecutors allege he used nonpublic information to profit from a prediction-market contract connected to events involving Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro.
In a June 10 SDNY filing, the judge ordered the parties to complete pretrial motions, with jury selection scheduled for Dec. 7. The structure of the schedule points to a trial in December 2026.
Prosecutors say Van Dyke allegedly made more than $400,000 on a Polymarket event contract tied to the capture of Maduro. The charges relate to alleged trading around January, when US forces entered his Caracas residence and extradited him to the United States to face criminal charges.
The case also appears to intersect with broader political and regulatory scrutiny aimed at prediction markets. Earlier coverage from Cointelegraph noted that US lawmakers have raised concerns about whether elected officials should be barred from betting on events when they may have classified or nonpublic information. The Van Dyke matter is being watched through that lens, because it centers on alleged information asymmetry in a market designed to price outcomes.
Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Earlier coverage from Cointelegraph detailed lawmakers’ attention on the intersection between political roles and prediction markets.
What to watch next across the three cases
With Storm’s retrial timing dependent on a Rule 29 acquittal request, Mashinsky’s sentence-vacate process now moving into a government-response phase, and Van Dyke’s case heading toward Dec. 7, 2026 jury selection, investors and builders should watch closely for procedural rulings that determine whether these disputes accelerate toward full retrials or shift through appeals and motion practice.
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