Alexei Pertsev, a tornado cash developer convicted of money laundering in 2024, was released from prison under electronic surveillance as he continues his legal battle.
The 31-year-old Russian citizen, sentenced to 64 months in a Dutch prison last May, announced his release at X on February 6th, saying, “Dear friend, Friday, February 7th at 10am. It’s free! It’s not true freedom, but it’s better than prison.”
His release follows multiple rejected bail requests and ongoing debate regarding legal treatment of crypto developers with a focus on privacy. The Dutch court suspended his pretrial detention, allowing him to focus on pleading his beliefs.
Pertsev was released on the condition that he would be monitored electronically.
Freedom is valuable, but my freedom costs a lot. Thanks to the lawyer’s work paid out of your contribution, it was possible to arrest my home. My battle is not over yet, and I still need your help for a final and confident victory. Please support us in our fight here…pic.twitter.com/wt1ewhxhai
-Alexey Pertsev (@Alex_Pertsev) February 7, 2025
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Illegal Transactions
In a two-day trial for Pertsev, a 30-year-old Russian citizen explained that the technology, particularly the smart contract, made it impossible to track users who adopted the service and anonymize transactions. He defended his role in the mixer.
Prosecutors rebutted, claiming that the Tornado Cash code promoted money laundering by transferring stolen funds into various wallets and effectively concealing their origins. did.
Pertsev was found guilty of failing to prevent illegal transactions through Tornado Cash, a cryptographic protocol approved by the US Treasury Department, which allegedly enabled money laundering of more than $7 billion.
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