Alexey Pertsev, a developer of the controversial cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, has been sentenced to 64 months in prison for laundering billions of dollars. The sentencing was announced by the Oost-Brabant district court in the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Pertsev’s involvement in creating Tornado Cash, an Ethereum (ETH)-based coin mixing system designed to obfuscate digital assets, was central to the court’s decision. The court stated, “Tornado Cash does not pose any barrier for people with criminal assets who want to launder them. That is why the court regards the defendant guilty of the money laundering activities as charged.”
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ruled that a Porsche and cryptocurrency valued at approximately 1.9 million euros, which had been seized from Pertsev, would not be returned to him.
Pertsev was arrested in August 2022 in the Netherlands following allegations of money laundering. This arrest came shortly after the U.S. Treasury Department prohibited American citizens from using Tornado Cash, citing national security concerns. According to the U.S. agency, the North Korean hacking group Lazarus, which was allegedly behind the $600 million Axie Infinity (AXS) bridge attack, used Tornado Cash to launder their illicit gains.
Pertsev’s co-developers, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, are also facing charges of money laundering and sanctions violations in the United States. Roman Storm is currently out on bail awaiting trial, while Roman Semenov has not yet been apprehended.
This case underscores the increasing scrutiny and regulatory actions against cryptocurrency platforms and developers involved in facilitating illegal activities.
