TLDR
- Vitalik Buterin, known for being the mind behind Ethereum, committed 30 ETH, equivalent to roughly $113,000, to help defend Tornado Cash’s Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm.
- A Dutch court has sentenced Alexey Pertsev to five years and four months for allegations of money laundering through Tornado Cash, whereas Roman Storm faces similar accusations in the U.S.
- Juicebox, a decentralized fundraising site, hosts the legal defense initiative, which currently holds 591 ETH, about $2.2 million.
- With a history of championing privacy-focused crypto tools, Vitalik Buterin has advocated for building privacy solutions on Ethereum.
Vitalik Buterin once more stands by Tornado Cash's developers, supporting the crypto privacy tool that is under heavy scrutiny from legal authorities.
Buterin recently donated 30 ETH Valued at around $113,000, this donation to Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm’s defense fund showcases Buterin's support for the developers amid their legal challenges from the crypto mixer controversy.
After his arrest in the Netherlands, Pertsev was sentenced to over five years by a court due to money laundering charges.
Over three years, Tornado Cash facilitated the illicit processing of an estimated $1.2 billion from July 2019 to August 2022, culminating in Pertsev’s conviction. Appealing his conviction, Pertsev has taken his case to the s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal in the Netherlands.
In the U.S., Roman Storm has been in custody since 2023, with his trial expected to commence in September.
The charge against both developers revolves around bypassing Anti-Money Laundering regulations through the use of Tornado Cash, a tool for anonymous crypto transactions.
Vitalik Buterin's contribution to the developers' 'Free Pertsev and Storm' defense campaign underlines his active support and commitment to privacy in the crypto world.
Securing 591 ETH or around $2.2 million, the defense fund has rallied substantial backing from the wider crypto community.
A vocal proponent of user privacy in cryptocurrency, the Ethereum co-founder has long championed tools that empower asset confidentiality.
Buterin's past writings on Ethereum privacy enhancement underscore his predictable support for Tornado Cash's developers.
The ongoing legal case around Tornado Cash sparks a wider debate on privacy's role in crypto and developers' accountability for their software’s misuse.
The U.S. Treasury's crackdown on Tornado Cash in August 2022 hinged on the assertion that the tool aids criminal money laundering from hacked or stolen assets.
A resistance wave in the crypto scene argues against criminalizing developers merely for coding, likening it to labeling them as terrorists.
In the U.S., blockchain advocacy groups have submitted briefs to counter the criminal accusations against Storm, while lawmakers challenge the Department of Justice’s broadened interpretation of crypto-related business activities.
