Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has shown his support for the legal defense of two developers associated with the controversial cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash.
According to an Etherscan transaction, Buterin donated 30 ETH, valued at approximately $113,000 at the time of writing, to the Juicebox crowdfunding campaign “Free Alexey & Roman.”
The “Free Alexey & Roman” campaign aims to raise funds for the legal defense of Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm, developers of the Tornado Cash cryptocurrency mixer. The fund has raised 592.45 ETH (approximately $2.2 million) to support the legal defense of the developers of Tornado Cash.
Dutch authorities arrested Pertsev in August 2022, accusing him of facilitating money laundering through Tornado Cash. Storm faces similar charges.
This donation is not the first time Buterin has expressed his support for Pertsev and Storm. Recently, he publicly criticized the Dutch court’s decision to sentence Pertsev to 64 months in prison, calling it “really unfortunate.”
Tornado Cash is a cryptocurrency mixing service that allows users to obfuscate the origin of their digital assets. While proponents argue it protects user privacy, critics claim it facilitates money laundering for criminals.
The donation from Buterin brings the total raised by the “Free Alexey & Roman” campaign to approximately $2.2 million (592.45 ETH). The legal battle for Pertsev and Storm is ongoing, and it remains to be seen how the Dutch court will ultimately rule on their cases.
