Alexey Pertsev, the Tornado Cash creator who was convicted last year of money laundering, will be released on Friday from his pre-trial detention.
The Netherlands-based resident has been detained since 2022 and is currently appealing the conviction he received for money laundering in relation to his involvement in developing Tornado Cash. The coin mixing service Use to disguise the flow Ethereum transactions. Pertsev received a sentence of 64 months imprisonment from a Dutch Court in May 2024.
Judith de Boer confirmed that Pertsev is appealing his case. Decrypt that Pertsev's release is imminent.
On Friday, 7th February, at 10:00 am I shall be released! Although it’s not true freedom, at least I am out of prison. A Dutch court has suspended my pre-trial detention today, with the condition that I am monitored electronically. This will give me a chance to work on my appeal and fight for…
— Alexey Pertsev (@alex_pertsev) February 6, 2025
“With his release, we can now fully engage in his defense and prepare for the appeal under more equitable conditions,” She said
Perstev appealed his conviction following a U.S. Federal appeals court You can find out how to pronounce it by clicking here In November last year, Tornado Cash was found to be in violation of the law. For several months, he had been trying to convince a Dutch judge to give him bail.
On X, Perstev Writer You can also find out more about us here. A return home to his family will bring him happiness “a chance to work on my appeal and fight for justice.”
“It is not real freedom, but it is better than prison,” “He added.” “Today, a Dutch court suspended my pretrial detention under the condition of electronic monitoring.”
Perstev’s case became an issue among privacy supporters who thought the developer was unfairly being targeted because he wrote code. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, once called Perstev’s prosecution “chilling” for software developers.
“The Alexey thing is definitely really unfortunate,” He You can also read about the importance of this in our article In 2024, there will be a conference in Berlin. “I think a lot of people have been going under the assumption […] that just building software is something that’s okay and is a totally legal and legit way to fight for privacy.”
The Fifth Circuit Court of the United States ruled that smart contracts are immutable. can’t The object can be classified as a “classic” item if it is not altered by an entity. “property” The sanctions imposed are as follows.
Pertsev, a Russian national who lives in the Netherlands, was given a 5-year sentence by a Dutch Court last May. The court found him guilty of money laundering for his involvement with Tornado Cash. The developer's lawyers appealed the decision shortly thereafter with the Netherlands’ Court of Appeal s-Hertogenbosch, which pushed back hearings for Pertsev’s appeal late last year.
Dutch prosecutors have alleged Tornado Cash's software enabled criminals to launder more than $1 billion in illicit funds from at least 36 hacks of decentralized and centralized digital asset platforms. The mixer was used to funnel more than 600 million dollars worth of cryptocurrency siphoned off Ethereum’s Ronin network in 2022.
Tornado Cash Co-Founder Roman Storm, who is accused of facilitating money-laundering through an Ethereum-based crypto-mixer, faces criminal prosecution in Manhattan.
In September, the New York State court rejected his motion to dismiss charges. It found that his argument about free speech was unrelated to the law under which the charges were filed.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and the venture capital company Paradigm, are just two organizations that contributed money to Storm’s legal defense. Paradigm Co-Founder Matt Huang told reporters last month that his company’s $1.25m contribution would be used to fight a critical battle.
He said that X was the subject. “The prosecution’s case threatens to hold software developers criminally liable for the bad acts of third parties, which would have a chilling effect in crypto and beyond.”
Andrew Hayward edited the book