Tornado Cash: Alexey Pertsev Released, But At Home

Tornado Cash co-founder Alexey Pertsev was released from Dutch prison today after being convicted of felonies nine months ago. Despite the release, Pertsev will remain under house arrest until the appeal process is completed.

The United States recently lifted all sanctions against Tornado Cash, but this victory is minimal compared to the seriousness of the case. Criminal activity on the platform has increased, and this could affect Alexey's appeal request.

The head of Tornado Cash is out of bad waters

The co-founder of cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, Alexey Pertsev, has been going through turbulent waters. He was convicted of money laundering in May 2024, in a controversial sentence for the entire crypto ecosystem.

According to reports, Alexey maintained an open-source platform used by criminals for illicit activities. This led to his arrest, despite the fact that he was not directly involved in the transactions. However, he was released today.

After his release, Alexey commented on social media:

"Freedom has no price, but my freedom costs a lot of money. My house arrest was only possible thanks to the work of lawyers, paid for with your donations. My fight is not over yet, and for a final and sure victory I still need your help," said Pertsev.

Tornado Cash has gained community support, with many donating to the cause of the entire project. Tornado's other co-founder, Roman Storm, is also facing his own legal battles. To help him, Paradigm donated $1.25 million. In addition, the founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, has promised donations for the project's developers.

Alexey has been seeking donations for his legal fund since August. He said:

"I would like to thank everyone, especially Vitalik Buterin and Stefan George, for your incredible generosity in my defence. Your support inspires me to keep going, and I will be eternally grateful. Even though the legal battle is far from over, I hope that 2025 will bring positive developments."

Alexey also shared another piece of news. The US authorities had banned the platform in 2022, but the appeals court lifted the sanctions last November.

However, Tornado Cash is still surrounded by many threats and Pertsev will face several battles to get out of the restrictions completely. In 2024, the platform was implicated in money laundering activities, with hackers using Tornado Cash to launder around $50 million in a single month.

For now, Alexey is back home and the platform has been freed from economic sanctions. Regardless of how the case develops, news like this boosts the morale and resilience of the crypto community, giving hope in long battles like this.