Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has contributed 50 ETH to the legal defense fund for Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev, who are confronted with escalating legal challenges.
The Donation
The news was shared through a post on X by the Juicebox project Free Pertsev and Storm. One of the beneficiaries, Roman Storm, expressed gratitude for the funds, describing it as a show of Buterin's leadership and support. "Immense gratitude to Vitalik Buterin for his generous donation to my legal defense fund. Your unwavering support and leadership by example continue to inspire us all. Thank you for standing with me during this challenging time," he wrote. The recent donation represents about 25% of the $650,000 available through JusticeDAO, a community-driven initiative established to support their legal battles.
Tornado Cash Developers Face Ongoing Legal Challenges
The Tornado Cash crypto mixing protocol has been in the news for its alleged exploitation by malicious actors for illicit activities, including money laundering. In August 2022, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on the platform, asserting that North Korean hackers had used it to launder over $7 billion in crypto since 2019. The legal scrutiny intensified, leading to the arrest of co-founder Alexey Pertsev by Dutch authorities in 2022. He was found guilty of laundering $1.2 billion in illicit funds in May 2024 and received a prison sentence of over five years. Pertsev is appealing the verdict. In the U.S., Roman Storm and fellow developer Roman Semenov face charges of money laundering, sanctions violations, and fraud.
Buterin's Previous Initiatives
This is not the first time Vitalik Buterin has been involved in legal defense efforts for controversial cases. In 2022, he donated 10 ETH, valued at $30,980, to the AssangeDAO legal fund created to support WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. More recently, in October, he offered 100 ETH, equivalent to about $240,000, to the Free Pertsev and Storm Juicebox project. Additionally, he made another contribution of 30 ETH, worth about $113,000, to the same cause in May.
Vitalik Buterin continues to actively support Tornado Cash developers by providing considerable financial aid in their legal battles. These efforts demonstrate his commitment to supporting blockchain community members during challenging times.
