ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated 30 eth, valued at around $113,000, to support the legal defense of Tornado Cash developers Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm, via decentralized fundraising platform Juicebox.
According to the chain's data, the transaction from an address linked to Buterin, called vitalik.eth, it was made at 1:58 am EST on May 30 to the law office “Free Alexey & Roman”. background on Juicebox, which had raised 595.82 eth, worth approximately $2.2 million.
Open source is not a crime
Cryptocurrency veterans, including Buterin, have consistently advocated for privacy tools to manage crypto assets privately. Buterin has published numerous articles on improving ethereum privacy. Therefore, his move is not surprising.
Other followers have shown their solidarity by attaching messages of encouragement to their donations. Beneath their contributions, phrases like “you have our support,” “the code is not guilty,” “support freedom,” and “open source is a form of freedom of expression that everyone deserves” resonate strongly.
This is not the first time Buterin has donated to a similar cause. In 2022, he x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1490686148087320576″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener” data-wpel-link=”external”>contributed 10 eth (valued at $30,980 at the time) to an 'AssangeDAO' legal fund on Juicebox, which supports Australian activist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Legal problems for Tornado Cash bosses
Tornado Cash is a privacy-focused tool that facilitates anonymous crypto transactions. However, its potential for misuse has led to criminals exploiting it to launder, hack, or steal funds. This illicit activity caught the attention of authorities, leading the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to impose sanctions on Tornado Cash in August 2022.
Shortly after, Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev was arrested in Amsterdam for allegedly concealing criminal financial flows and facilitating money laundering through the controversial ethereum mixing service.
A year later, other developers – Roman Storm and Roman Semenov – were charged with helping to launder $1 billion, and Storm was arrested in Washington state. Pertsev was sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in prison earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Storm remains detained in the United States since his arrest in 2023, and his trial is scheduled for September.
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