Hold onto your hats, folks, because there's some juicy news from the crypto world! Ethereum's very own wizard, Vitalik Buterin, has stepped up to the plate with a generous helping of digital currency to support Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev in their legal scuffles.
Buterin, showing off his philanthropic side, chipped in a whopping 50 ETH, which translates to around $170,000. That's like sending a lifeboat to Storm and Pertsev as they navigate some seriously choppy legal waters.
The news broke on Dec. 31 with a heartfelt shoutout on X from the Juicebox project, Free Pertsev and Storm. Roman Storm himself couldn't contain his gratitude, calling Buterin's donation a shining example of leadership and support. “Huge thanks to Vitalik Buterin for his generous donation to my legal defense fund,” he gushed. “Your unwavering support continues to inspire us all.”
This recent boost means that about 25% of the $650,000 from the community-powered JusticeDAO is now in the corner of these devs. And it's not Buterin's first rodeo when it comes to legal support. He previously tossed 10 ETH into the legal fund for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and later threw 100 ETH into the mix for the Free Pertsev and Storm initiative.
But let's rewind a bit. Tornado Cash has been in the spotlight for some not-so-great reasons. Accusations of being a playground for shady dealings and money laundering have haunted the platform. The U.S. Treasury even slapped sanctions on it, claiming North Korean hackers laundered over $7 billion in crypto through it since 2019.
Things took a dramatic turn when Dutch authorities nabbed co-founder Alexey Pertsev in 2022, and he was later found guilty of money laundering in 2024, leading to a hefty prison sentence. Pertsev, however, is appealing the verdict.
In the U.S., Roman Storm and his fellow developer Roman Semenov are facing charges related to money laundering and fraud. Storm is out on bail, with his trial set for April 2025, while Semenov remains elusive.
With the crypto world buzzing and Buterin's generosity lighting a path, this saga is far from over. Keep your eyes peeled as we follow the twists and turns in the legal adventures of Tornado Cash and its fearless devs!
