TechFlow reports on August 11 that, according to Cointelegraph, the legal case of Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev has entered a critical phase, as he is now seeking additional funds to continue fighting for privacy rights and the freedom to publish code. Pertsev has been embroiled in a high-stakes legal battle since his arrest two years ago and is currently facing financial difficulties. A support account on social platform X highlighted this urgent situation, stating that Pertsev has run out of funds and urgently needs between $750,000 and $1 million to cover legal expenses.
The cryptocurrency community has shown strong support for Pertsev and his co-developer Roman Storm, who are accused of money laundering through Tornado Cash, violating sanctions, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. To support their legal defense, JusticeDAO was established and raised over 654 ether (approximately $2.3 million) via the decentralized platform Juicebox. Additionally, the JusticeDAO page has raised another 70 ETH. Juicebox maintains transparency by publicly disclosing expenditures from the "Free Alexey & Roman" fund, showing that $1.39 million was spent on legal fees between December 2023 and May 2024.
Despite these efforts, Pertsev's legal battle continues to face significant financial pressure. He remains incarcerated after being denied bail, and his lawyers are preparing an appeal against the money laundering charges. His request to use a computer to prepare for the appeal was rejected, further complicating the defense process.
On May 14, 2024, the Dutch Court of Appeal in 's-Hertogenbosch upheld Pertsev’s conviction on money laundering charges and sentenced him to five years and four months in prison. The court ruled that he facilitated the laundering of $1.2 billion through Tornado Cash. Earlier, in November 2023, a Dutch court had denied his request for conditional release, citing flight risk. During his trial in March, Pertsev argued that he should not be held responsible for illegal activities carried out by individuals using the Tornado Cash protocol. However, the court rejected this argument, stating that he and his co-founders could have taken more measures to prevent abuse of the protocol.
