Michaela
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has made another major donation to the legal defense fund for Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev.
In a December 31 X post from the Juicebox project Free Pertsev and Storm, it was revealed that Buterin contributed 50 Ether, valued at approximately $170,000.
“Thank you @VitalikButerin for helping us end the year on a good note,” the post wrote. Storm revealed that his legal defense fund, managed through JusticeDAO, currently has $650,000 in available support.
Pertsev and Storm are facing legal challenges due to their involvement with the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash. Pertsev was apprehended by Dutch authorities in 2022, convicted of money laundering in May 2024, and sentenced to over five years in prison. He has announced plans to appeal the conviction.
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On the other hand, Storm and fellow developer Roman Semenov are facing charges in the U.S. for money laundering, sanctions violations, and fraud. Storm was granted bail ahead of his trial, set for April 14, while Semenov remains at large.
The legal cases involving Storm and Pertsev are connected to the U.S. Treasury’s August 2022 decision to designate Tornado Cash on its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. The Treasury alleged that malicious actors, including North Korean hackers, used the cryptocurrency mixing service to launder over $7 billion since 2019.
The cryptocurrency community expressed widespread outrage over the sanctions imposed on the Tornado Cash mixing service and its developers. In October, Buterin extended his support for the developers by contributing 100 ETH, valued at roughly $240,000, to the Juicebox fund.
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The controversies surrounding Tornado Cash and its developers have sparked legal battles beyond criminal cases. Advocacy groups, including Coin Center and a coalition of Tornado Cash users supported by Coinbase, have filed lawsuits challenging actions taken by the U.S. Treasury.
In November, an appellate court ruled that the U.S. Treasury exceeded its authority by sanctioning Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts. However, the decision did not seem to influence the ongoing criminal proceedings against Storm.
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MICHAELA
Michaela is a news writer focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain topics. She рrioritizes rigorous research and accuracy to uncover interesting angles and ensure engaging reporting. A lifelong book lover, she applies her passion for reading to deeply explore the constantly evolving crypto world.
