Ethereum Foundation through social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) announced a donation of $1.25 million dollars to support the legal defense of Alexey Pertsev .
Alexey Pertsev, a developer of the controversial mixer Tornado Cash was convicted of money laundering in May 2024 and is currently appealing to his sentence.
The donation program has been initiated through the Juicebox project by Roman Storm named “Free Pertsev and Storm”. This program highlights the growing concern within the cryptocurrency community regarding developer liability, accountability and the implications of privacy-based technologies.
Apart from Ethereum Foundation, Paradigm’s co-founder Matt Huang has also donated $1.25 million back in January 2025 in support of Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash. Roman Storm is also facing money laundering and sanctions violation charges in same case.
Ethereum Backing Alexey Pertsev
This backing from Ethereum and its founders is being seen as a powerful statement against what many take it to be overreach by the regulatory authorities.
Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin, in this case has emphasized that “privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime,” implying that the developers should not be held accountable for how their creations are used by others. This sentiment has resonated well within the cryptocurrency community, where the principles of decentralization and privacy act as the pillars of the entire sector.
Impact of the Donation on the Case
The impact of this donation will go beyond helping Pertsev with his legal issues. This donation could in fact change how the cryptocurrency industry deals with government regulations.
Pertsev’s appeal has been scheduled for late 2025 and experts think that if Pertsev wins his appeal, it could set an important example that protects developers from similar legal problems in the future. On the other hand, if he loses, it might scare off innovation and stop developers from creating tools that protect people’s privacy.
Quick Recap of the Case
Alexey Pertsev, a Russian national living in Netherlands, was convicted of laundering $2.2 billion through Tornado Cash, a decentralized Ethereum based privacy tool. He was sentenced to 64 months in prison, despite arguing that the protocol’s autonomous and open-source nature meant he could not control its use.
The case has implications for open-source developers, suggesting they may be liable for how their software is used. Pertsev’s conviction is currently being appealed.
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