Roman Sterlingov Defends Innocence Amid Crypto Mixing Service Allegations and Challenges Chainalysis Reactor Software in Ongoing Legal Battle
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Roman Sterlingov, arrested in 2021 for running a cryptocurrency service called Bitcoin Fog, is saying he didn’t do anything wrong. His lawyer is worried about a software called Reactor by Chainalysis, which was used to show he was involved. They’re saying Reactor might not always be accurate and there’s no clear proof that it doesn’t make errors.
Bitcoin Fog Case Challenges Blockchain Analysis; Chainalysis Software Faces Scrutiny in US Court https://t.co/9pliAq9Vcu pic.twitter.com/umifxRpjA6
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Moreover, no independent experts have thoroughly verified its reliability. This raises doubts about whether the evidence obtained from Reactor can be trusted in Roman’s case. In simpler terms, they’re questioning whether the software used to accuse Roman is actually dependable, and this uncertainty could impact his legal situation.
Attorney Tor Ekeland strongly criticized Chainalysis’ Reactor software in court, calling it “junk science.”
Sterlingov’s legal team has raised concerns about the software’s accuracy because no information is available about its error rates, false positives, false negatives, or peer-reviewed research proving it’s reliable.
Challenges to Blockchain Evidence and Government Responses in Legal Cases
It is worth mentioning that the recent court order shows that the U.S. government is aware of the defence’s concerns regarding the credibility of the Bitcoin Fog cluster’s grouping methods. However, the defence strongly contends that a specific presentation slide is problematic. They argue it’s more likely to create bias than provide clarity because it lacks a solid foundation and contains potentially unreliable information.
Furthermore, the defence lawyers emphasize unclear details about when the valuations for Bitcoin-to-US dollar exchange rates were established. Essentially, they highlight issues and uncertainties in the evidence used against Roman Sterlingov, their client.
It is also worth noting that the US government’s blockchain experts have faced criticism. In the Crypto 6 case, Ian Freeman, a radio show host, tried to dismiss the government’s expert testimony using a Daubert motion. His lawyers argued that the private tools and specialized software used for blockchain analysis didn’t meet the standards for reliable evidence set by Daubert.
After Tor Ekeland wrote a letter to the court in Roman Sterlingov’s case, the U.S. government replied to support its analysis of the case against Sterlingov. This shows that there has been an ongoing argument about whether blockchain analysis methods can be trusted in legal cases.
Legal Case Highlights Reliability of Blockchain Analysis in Court
In a recent legal case, prosecutors emphasized that “blockchain analysis” meets the criteria for being considered reliable and trustworthy evidence in court, following the Daubert criteria. They highlighted the strong testimony supporting the reliability of Chainalysis Reactor, a software used in this analysis. The government pointed out that both the software and the broader field of blockchain analysis have undergone rigorous testing, including scrutiny during law enforcement investigations.
They also mentioned that academics have studied the methods used in blockchain analysis, especially techniques to reduce errors. Interestingly, even though there isn’t an official government standard, there are widely accepted standards within the industry. Chainalysis defended itself against criticism in court, and the judge allowed the defence to have an expert examine Chainalysis’s methods while keeping the findings confidential.
