Long prison sentence for developer Tornado Cash

A developer of the #Ethereum mixer #Tornado Cash has been sentenced to several years in prison. The sentence could have a signal effect.

Alexey Pertsev, one of the developers of the Ethereum mixer Tornado Cash, is in the Netherlands found guilty of money laundering.

According to the verdict, Pertsev was allegedly involved in the laundering of US$1.2 billion. The court sentenced him to five years and four months in prison.

The judgment may be appealed.

The U.S. Treasury Department declared "Tornado Cash" illegal in August 2022. Several billion U.S. dollars were allegedly laundered through the mixer. Its use may be prosecuted in the US.

The developers were subsequently indicted. Alexey Pertsev was arrested in Amsterdam in August 2022. Proceedings against two other developers, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, are currently ongoing in the US.

The ruling has been criticized by parts of the crypto community. Proponents argue that publication of computer code falls under freedom of speech.

The ruling could be a signal. In April, the developers of the cryptomixer "Samourai Wallet" were also arrested. Again, the charges are money laundering and unauthorized transfer of funds. They could face similar sentences.