Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated 100 ETH (~~$242,000) to the legal defense fund for Tornado Cash developers Alexey Percev and Roman Storm. The donation was made to Storm’s support page, bringing the total amount of donations to 327.51 ETH (~~$793,000), while Percev’s page has raised 56.19 ETH (~$136,000).

Thank you @VitalikButerin for donating another 100 ETH to Roman Storm's legal aid on Juicebox 🫡

This is the third time Vitalik has donated to the campaign and we are extremely grateful for his support. pic.twitter.com/ehgvtadOXu
— Free Pertsev & Storm (@FreeAlexeyRoman) October 5, 2024

“I can’t describe how much this means to me. Thank you for your long-term support,” wrote Roman Storm in his message.

This is Buterin’s third donation to support Tornado Cash developers. In May, he sent 30 ETH to the same Free Alexey & Roman fund, which was launched on the decentralized platform Juicebox in January 2024.

Sanctions Against Tornado Cash

In August 2022, the OFAC added Tornado Cash to its sanctions list, accusing the platform of laundering over $7 billion through the cryptocurrency mixer. Of these funds, $455 million were linked to the Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacking group. This move sparked protests within the crypto community, as Tornado Cash was used to ensure the privacy of users.

Arrest and Trial of Developers

In August 2022, Dutch authorities arrested Alexey Percev, a Tornado Cash developer, accusing him of facilitating money laundering through the platform. In May 2024, Percev was found guilty of laundering $1.2 billion and sentenced to 64 months in prison. In July 2024, the court denied Percev’s bail request while awaiting an appeal.

Roman Storm and the second co-founder of the platform, Roman Semenov, also faced charges. Storm was released on bail but denied his guilt. Semenov, though avoiding arrest, was placed on the OFAC sanctions list.

Community Support

Amid the legal proceedings, the cryptocurrency and human rights communities have voiced their support for the Tornado Cash developers, asserting that code should remain free and that developers should not be held accountable for its use by third parties. Buterin has consistently advocated for developer freedom and continues to provide financial assistance during the ongoing legal battles.

Conclusion

The case surrounding Tornado Cash remains one of the most high-profile in the cryptocurrency industry, touching on privacy, regulation, and the freedom to develop code. The controversy between privacy advocates and government authorities continues, and the outcome of this case could set an important precedent for the future of crypto development.