Dutch Court Sentenced Tornado Cash Developer for 64 Months

As a seasoned crypto investor with a keen interest in privacy and decentralized finance, I find the recent developments surrounding Tornado Cash and Alexei Pertsev’s sentencing deeply concerning. The Dutch court’s decision to sentence Pertsev to 64 months in prison for money laundering between 2019 and 2022 sets a significant precedent that could impact the future of privacy-focused DeFi projects and their developers.


Alexei Pertsev, the creator of Tornado Cash, was given a prison sentence of 64 months by a Dutch court in s’Hertogenbosch. He was held accountable for money laundering activities that took place between July 9, 2019, and August 10, 2022.

On August 2022, the United States authorities added Tornado Cash to their sanctions list for its reported ties to the notorious North Korean hacking entity, Lazarus Group. This group is believed to have pilfered approximately $625 million from the Ronin Network, which underpins the Axie Infinity game.

The ruling against Pertsev establishes a significant precedent, potentially influencing ongoing probes and future trials involving other developers connected to Tornado Cash. Of note, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, two of the platform’s co-creators, are currently accused of money laundering and breaching international sanctions in the US. This case underscores the growing global efforts to curb digital financial crimes related to cryptocurrencies.

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2024-05-14 17:24