Vitalik Buterin Donates $170,000 to Tornado Cash Devs

Crypto News

Vitalik Buterin Backs Tornado Cash Developers with $170,000 Defense Fund

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: January 02, 2025

Key Takeaways

Vitalik Buterin donated 50 ETH, approximately $170,000, in ETH to the legal fund for Pertsev and Storm;
Pertsev was convicted of money laundering, while Storm awaits trial in April 2025.
Tornado Cash faces scrutiny after being sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022;

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Vitalik Buterin Backs Tornado Cash Developers with $170,000 Defense Fund

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The co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, has donated 50 ETH ETH $3,098.28 to the legal defense fund for Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm, developers of Tornado Cash.

The donation, valued at around $170,000, was announced through the Free Pertsev & Storm's X account. They stated, "Thank you, Vitalik Buterin, for helping us end the year on a good note with a 50 ETH donation to both Roman and Alexey's legal aid".

Buterin's contribution represents approximately 25% of the $650,000 legal fund available to the developers via JusticeDAO.

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Storm also expressed gratitude by posting on his own X account. He said:

Immense gratitude to Vitalik Buterin for his generous donation to my legal defense fund. Your unwavering support and leadership by example continue to inspire us all.

Pertsev and Storm have faced legal challenges due to their involvement with Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixing service. The lawsuit began after the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed Tornado Cash on its sanctions list in August 2022.

Pertsev was arrested in 2022 by Dutch authorities and later convicted of money laundering in 2024. He received a sentence of more than five years.

Meanwhile, US prosecutors have charged Storm and another developer, Roman Semenov, with money laundering, sanctions violations, and fraud. Storm is currently on bail awaiting his trial, set to begin in April 2025, while Semenov remains out of reach of authorities.

On December 2024, Buterin also made headlines by becoming an adoptive father to Moo Deng, the viral hippopotamus. What did he say about it? Read the full story.