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07/02/25
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Developer of Tornado Cash Granted Conditional Release Amid Legal Battles
Alexey Pertsev, a developer associated with the decentralized finance protocol Tornado Cash, is poised for release from detention as a Dutch court has decided to suspend his pretrial confinement. This decision comes as Pertsev prepares to challenge his recent conviction for money laundering.
Pertsev’s release is conditional, requiring him to remain under electronic monitoring, which he states limits his sense of freedom. Scheduled to be released on February 7, he has been in custody in the Netherlands since August 2022. His legal team believes this opportunity will allow Pertsev to focus on his appeal and advocate for his rights.
During his trial, Pertsev contended that he should not be held accountable for the misuse of the Tornado Cash protocol by others engaging in illegal activities. The court, however, found him and his co-founders culpable, arguing they failed to implement adequate measures to prevent the misuse of their technology. In May, a Dutch court found Pertsev guilty and sentenced him to over five years in prison.
In the broader context, Pertsev’s co-founders, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, were charged in August 2023 by U.S. authorities with allegations of complicity in laundering significant amounts of cryptocurrency through Tornado Cash. While Storm has been released on a substantial bond, Semenov remains elusive and is currently listed as one of the FBI’s most wanted individuals.
The legal actions against Tornado Cash and its developers have raised concerns regarding the implications for the cryptocurrency space and the development of software in general. Supporters of the developers argue that these prosecutions could set a troubling precedent, threatening to jeopardize the principles of privacy in cryptocurrency transactions and potentially criminalizing software development activities. Legal challenges have already emerged, highlighting fears among developers about possible repercussions linked to existing legislation regarding money transmission.
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