Nearly nine months after his conviction, Tornado Cash co-founder Alexey Pertsev was released from Dutch prison today. He will remain under house arrest until his appeal is fully processed.
Although US sanctions against Tornado Cash were recently lifted, these wins are only a small bright spot in a long case. Criminal activity on the platform increased last year, which may hurt Pertsev in the appeals process.
Tornado Cash’s Pertsev Takes a Small Win
Alexey Pertsev, co-founder of cryptocurrency tumbler Tornado Cash, has been through quite an ordeal. Pertsev was convicted of money laundering last May in a controversial ruling for the crypto space.
Pertsev maintained an open-source platform that criminals used, which led to his arrest despite the lack of any direct involvement. However, he was released today.
“Freedom is priceless, but my freedom cost a lot of money. My house arrest was only possible thanks to the work of lawyers, who were paid from your donations. My fight is not over yet, and for a final and confident victory, I still need your help,” Pertsev claimed via social media.
Pertsev’s struggle and the Tornado Cash case have won support from the community. Paradigm pledged $1.25 million for co-founder Roman Storm’s own legal battle, and Vitalik Buterin also donated to the project’s developers.
Pertsev is still under house arrest pending an appeal, and he’s been seeking donations for his legal fund since August.
“I would like to thank everyone, especially Vitalik Buterin and Stefan George, for your incredible generosity to my defense. Your support inspires me to move forward, and I’m forever grateful. While the legal battle is far from over, I’m hopeful 2025 brings positive developments,” Pertsev wrote.
However, Pertsev’s release is just one piece of recent good news for Tornado Cash. Although US lawmakers banned the platform back in 2022, an appeals court overturned the sanctions last November.
Another District Court upheld this ruling in January, causing its TORN token to surge in value.
Still, Tornado Cash has its opponents, and Pertsev may face an uphill battle if he wants to remain free. Last year, the platform saw a resurgence in criminal activity as hackers used it to launder $50 million in one month.
For now, Pertsev can return to his home, and Tornado Cash has seen a slight reprieve from economic sanctions. Regardless of how well his appeal goes from here, developments like this can inspire hope and endurance when the community approaches a long fight.
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