Tornado Cash developer guilty of money laundering

As an analyst with a background in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, I find the recent guilty verdict against Alexey Pertsev, the developer of Tornado Cash, to be a concerning development for the open-source community. The implications of this case go beyond just the individual, and could set a dangerous precedent for anyone contributing to decentralized projects.


Alexey Pertsev, the creator behind Tornado Cash’s cryptocurrency mixing protocol, faces money laundering charges and a conviction, which could bring significant consequences for developers working on open-source projects.

On May 14, a Dutch court in ‘s-Hertogenbosch found Pertsev guilty of money laundering, resulting in a sentence of five years and four months in prison. The developer is accused of having laundered approximately $1.2 billion worth of illicit assets on the platform.

Despite functioning as a non-custodial crypto mixing protocol where it doesn’t hold or manage the funds passing through it (Tornado Cash), the sentencing was still imposed.

In August 2022, the developer, who had no authority over the finances involved, was taken into custody in the Netherlands. This occurred soon after Tornado Cash was added to the U.S. government’s sanctions list. Subsequently, the developer was held accountable for their actions.

Pertsev’s legal representatives will have 14 days to appeal the court ruling.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

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2024-05-14 15:16