Court Sentences Tornado Cash Developer to 64 Months in Prison

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According to CoinDesk, Dutch prosecutors are seeking a 64-month prison term for Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev, who stands accused of laundering $1.2 billion.

The final verdict is set to be announced on May 14. Pertsev allegedly conducted 36 illegal transactions through a cryptomixer between July 9, 2019, and August 10, 2022.

Previously, the co-founders of Tornado Cash, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, faced charges of money laundering and violating US sanctions. Storm was released on bail, while Semenov remained free but faced sanctions.

In August 2022, OFAC blacklisted Tornado Cash for laundering over $7 billion in criminal funds, leading to Pertsev’s arrest that same month. He was placed under house arrest in April 2023.

Since January 2024, Storm and Pertsev have been raising $1.5 million for legal fees through the JusticeDAO Foundation, gaining support from the crypto community. However, in February, the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe closed fundraising for Tornado Cash, citing potential risks to its users.