Vitalik Buterin Donates $113k to Support Legal Battle of Sanctioned Tornado Cash Developers

Tornado Cash is an Ethereum-based coin mixing service that facilitates anonymous crypto transactions.

Ethereum (ETH) co-founder donated a significant amount to support the legal battle of Tornado Cash developers Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm.

According to data from the Ethereum blockchain explorer Etherscan, Buterin transferred 30 ETH, valued at $113,678 at the time of the transaction, to the “Free Alexey & Roman” legal fund on May 30th.

The initiative aims to raise funds for the legal defense of Pertsev and Storm, who were charged in connection with the operation of Tornado Cash, a coin mixing service that facilitates anonymous crypto transactions.

In 2022, the US sanctioned the platform, alleging that it was used to launder illicit funds, posing a threat to national security.

Earlier this month, a district court in the Netherlands sentenced Pertsev to 64 months in jail for laundering billions of dollars worth of crypto. Storm was also arrested by US authorities last year.

The Justice Department charged him and another fellow developer, Roman Semenov, for allegedly assisting the North Korean hacking group Lazarus in laundering their criminal proceeds.

Back in January, Storm appealed for donations to help fund his legal defense. In a video posted on the social media platform X, he highlighted that the outcome of his trial would have significant implications on the future of digital assets.

The legal fund on the decentralized fundraising platform Juicebox has so far raised 597.07 ETH, which is around $2.25 million.

The initiative states that Roman and Alexey’s legal expenses range between $90,000 and $100,000 per month, and they are seeking assistance to cover these costs.

“Roman and Alex need your help to build a strong defense not just for their sake, but for crypto users and developers worldwide. In response to the arrests, a group of sympathizers came together to form WeWantJusticeDAO to advocate on their behalf and help raise funds for legal defense. However, time and money are running out, and we need your support.”