A senior civil servant of the US Ministry of Justice has known that the Wyoming cryptographic public had new condemnations of software developers in mind when he told them on Thursday that his department did not want to take care of the developers of digital asset software who have no money laundering intentions.
Matthew Galeotti, an interim assistant attorney general in the Doj criminal division, did these insurances during an event organized by the new group of Crypto-Group American Innovation Project, drawing vigorous applause.
“The ministry will not use federal criminal laws to shape a new regulatory regime on the digital asset industry,” he said. “The ministry will not use the accusation acts as an editorial tool. The ministry should not let the innovators guess what could lead to criminal proceedings.”
He added that “writing code without bad intention is not a crime”.
These feelings arrive in the context of a few recent developments in the audience in which American prosecutors were condemned against cryptographic developers. More importantly, the developer of Tornado Cash Roman Storm was found guilty of having managed an illegal money transmission company.
This followed closely on the heels of a plea agreement involving the developers behind Samurai Wallet pleading guilty of conspiracy in order to exploit a company of transmission of money without license – a significantly less accusation with which they were initially confronted.
Galeotti directly responded to the concerns concerning this specific penal code in which they were all condemned. He said that the Doj would not use it in crypto cases unless prosecutors have “evidence that a defendant knew the specific legal requirements and did not violate it voluntarily”.
He said that new charges will not be carried under this code in cases where “the software is really decentralized and only automates peer transactions, and where a third party has no care and control of user assets”.
A memo of April published by the sub-procurer General Todd Blanche had stated the position of the department under the direction appointed by the American president Donald Trump. He noted that the national team of application of the laws on cryptocurrencies had been dissolved and said that the DoJ would adopt a cautious approach to cryptographic cases after the previous administration “had created a particularly uncertain regulatory environment around digital assets”. Despite Blanche’s note, the South New York District (Sdny) Supported in front with their cases against Storm and the Samoruai wallet developers.
“Developers of neutral tools without criminal intention should not be held responsible for someone else’s abusive use,” said Galeotti at the event on Thursday, the first run by the AIP that was launched this week. “If an abusive use of a third party violates criminal law, then this third party should be continued, not the well -intentioned developer.”
The protection of crypto software developers was a central lobbying point for industry in negotiations with Washington legislators and regulators. The legislation on the structure of the cryptographic market which currently evolves by the congress has included protections of these developers, although the final version is not yet set in the Senate.
“The fact that the DOJ has recognized that software developers should not be held responsible for the excessive use of third parties of their code affirms what we have recommended for years,” said Amanda Tumineli, executive director of the DEFI education fund, in a statement after Galeotti’s remarks. “Let us celebrate this as a moment of progress and remember that there is even more work to do to modify the law permanently.”
Read more: Doj Axes Crypto Unit while Trump’s regulatory withdrawal continues
