Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev is set to be released from prison on February 7, after a Dutch court suspended his pretrial detention. While he will no longer be behind bars, Pertsev will remain under electronic monitoring as he prepares his appeal against a money laundering conviction.
Pertsev Granted Conditional Release After Lengthy Detention
Pertsev confirmed his release in a February 6 post on X, stating that while he is no longer in jail, it is not “real freedom” due to the electronic monitoring requirements.
“A Dutch court suspended my pretrial detention under the condition of electronic monitoring. This will give me a chance to work on my appeal and fight for justice,” Pertsev wrote.
Pertsev has been detained in the Netherlands since August 2022. In May 2024, a Dutch court found him guilty of money laundering and sentenced him to five years and four months in prison. His legal team immediately filed an appeal, but he had been denied bail multiple times before finally securing conditional release.
Court Rejects Pertsev’s Defense Over Tornado Cash Misuse
During his trial, Pertsev argued that he should not be held responsible for how Tornado Cash was used by others. He maintained that the open-source privacy protocol was not created for criminal activity, and its misuse by bad actors was beyond his control.
However, the court disagreed, ruling that Pertsev and other Tornado Cash co-founders should have implemented stricter measures to prevent illegal activity.
U.S. Crackdown on Tornado Cash Developers Continues
Pertsev’s case is part of a broader crackdown on Tornado Cash and its developers. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged co-founders Roman Storm and Roman Semenov in August 2023, accusing them of facilitating the laundering of over $1 billion in crypto.
- Roman Storm was released on a $2 million bond and is set to face trial in April 2025.
- Roman Semenov remains at large and is currently on the FBI’s most wanted list.
The U.S. sanctioned Tornado Cash in August 2022, but a U.S. court overturned those sanctions on January 21, 2025.
Broader Implications for Crypto Developers
Storm has criticized the legal actions against Tornado Cash, calling them a “terrifying criminalization of privacy” that could set a dangerous precedent for software developers.
“This case has already had a chilling effect on developers working on software tools,” Storm warned.
Crypto developer Michael Lewellen also filed a lawsuit against the DOJ on January 16, arguing that its interpretation of money-transmitting laws could put any software developer at risk of prosecution.
With Pertsev now released under strict conditions, the fight over the legal boundaries of privacy-focused crypto tools continues.
