The court has extended the pretrial detention of Alexey Pertsev, developer of the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash.

I am sad to announce that, despite our best efforts, the court decided to prolong my pre-trial detention. This decision significantly complicates my ability to prepare for the appeal, but I remain determined to continue fighting for justice.

Grateful for your ongoing support.🙏🏼
— Alexey Pertsev (@alex_pertsev) November 21, 2024

“This decision significantly complicates the ability to prepare for an appeal, but I remain determined to continue fighting for justice,” the programmer stated.

The court’s ruling comes amidst increased interest from US lawmakers in the Treasury Department’s measures against the mixing service. A group of congressmen noted that sanctions against Tornado Cash were imposed back in 2022, yet the platform continues to operate.

In the first half of 2024, the mixer saw a surge in usage, with deposit volumes reaching $1.8 billion—a 45% increase compared to the entire previous year. Policymakers have requested information from the Treasury regarding enforcement actions against individuals and companies using Tornado Cash.

On May 14, a Dutch court found Pertsev guilty of laundering $1.2 billion through the mixer and sentenced him to 64 months in prison. He has been in detention since then. In July, he was denied bail while awaiting the appeal process.

Notably, co-founders of Tornado Cash—Roman Storm and Roman Semenov—also face charges of money laundering and sanctions violations in the United States.