Alexey Pertsev, the developer of Tornado Cash, has received a sentence of 64 months in jail for his involvement in money laundering activities, as stated in a recent press release from the Dutch court in Oost-Brabant. Tornado Cash is an Ethereum-based coin mixing system that allows users to obscure their digital assets. The court emphasized that Tornado Cash does not present any obstacles for individuals with criminal assets who seek to launder their money, and therefore found Pertsev guilty of the charges.
Additionally, the court ruled that the defendant will not have his seized Porsche and cryptocurrency, valued at approximately 1.9 million euros, returned to him.
Pertsev was arrested in the Netherlands in August 2022 on money laundering accusations after the US Treasury Department prohibited American citizens from using Tornado Cash due to national security concerns. The US agency claimed that Tornado Cash was utilized by Lazarus, a North Korean group allegedly responsible for the Axie Infinity bridge attack, which resulted in losses of over $600 million.
Two other developers of the crypto mixer, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, are facing allegations of money laundering and sanctions violations in the United States. Storm is currently out on bail while awaiting trial, while Semenov has yet to be arrested.
