After being sentenced to 64 months for money laundering, the developer will be allowed to leave prison under electronic monitoring.
Alexey Pertsev, one of the lead developers of the non-custodial mixer Tornado Cash, has been granted conditional release. The developer, who had been in pre-trial detention in the Netherlands, will be allowed to leave prison on February 7 to prepare his appeal against the conviction.
In a post on X, Pertsev announced:
The Dutch court agreed to suspend the pre-trial detention, but imposed electronic monitoring as a condition for release.
Pertsev’s legal case has drawn attention from the crypto community after his sentence of 64 months in prison for facilitating the laundering of about $1.2 billion through Tornado Cash between July 2019 and August 2022. The protocol, designed to ensure privacy in crypto transactions, has come under scrutiny by authorities for its alleged use in illegal activities.
Pertsev argued that he should not be held liable for the actions of those who used the protocol for illegal or criminal purposes. The court rejected this argument, stating that Pertsev and the other co-founders should have taken stricter measures to prevent criminal use.
While Pertsev prepares to fight his legal battle on appeal, a parallel case is unfolding in the United States, where Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, is facing his own legal challenges. Storm is free on a $2 million bond and is expected to face trial in April.
