Alexey Pertsev, developer of Tornado Cash, was sentenced to 64 months in prison by a Dutch court in s’Hertogenbosch. He was found guilty of money laundering, which he committed between July 9, 2019, and August 10, 2022.
A three-judge panel sentenced the developer to five years and four months in prison. “Tornado Cash in its nature and functioning is a tool intended for criminals,” one of the judges said. The Russian national’s legal team has 14 days to appeal the decision.
The US government blacklisted Tornado Cash on August 20, 2022, due to its connection to the North Korean hacking group, the Lazarus Group. It allegedly stole $625 million from the Ronin Network supporting the Axie Infinity game.
The verdict sets a precedent against Pertsev, which might have an impact on the ongoing investigations and forthcoming trials of other developers linked to Tornado Cash. Notably, two co-developers of the platform, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, currently face charges of money laundering and violating international sanctions in the United States.
However, a spokesperson from the DeFi Education Fund said that it should have no impact on the U.S. case against Storm.
This case marks a moment in the legal handling of cryptocurrency operations associated with criminal activities and highlights the increasing global crackdown on digital financial crimes.
