Vitalik Buterin Supports Tornado Cash Developers with Legal Fund Contribution

Vitalik Buterin, a co-founder of Ethereum, has kindly given 50 ETH, or roughly $170,000, to help Tornado Cash developers Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm with their legal defense. Buterin’s efforts to help people who are suffering legal issues in the bitcoin industry are continuing, and this gift is the most recent.

On December 31, the Free Pertsev and Storm initiative publicly acknowledged the donation in a post on X. Roman Storm conveyed his sincere gratitude, highlighting how Buterin’s deed of kindness highlights his leadership and commitment to the cause. He stated, “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. Thank you for standing with me during this challenging time.”

Approximately 25% of the $650,000 received through JusticeDAO, a community-driven movement that aims to pay the developers’ legal fights, was contributed by this noteworthy individual. Buterin’s prior contributions, which included a 100 ETH donation in October that was valued at about $240,000 and a 30 ETH donation in May that was valued at $113,000, have also had a significant influence.

Ongoing Legal Struggles for Tornado Cash Developers

One of the main points of contention has been the legal issues involving Tornado Cash and its developers. Governmental organizations accused the crypto mixing protocol platform of enabling illegal operations such as money laundering. Tornado Cash was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in August 2022 after it was alleged that North Korean hackers had laundered more than $7 billion in cryptocurrencies using the platform.

Consequently, Tornado Cash became the subject of increased legal scrutiny. In 2022, Dutch police detained one of the co-founders, Alexey Pertsev. He was found guilty of money laundering in May 2024 and sentenced to more than five years in prison. Pertsev is contesting the ruling at the moment.

Roman Storm is still free on bond after being charged with money laundering, sanctions violations, and fraud in the United States along with developer Roman Semenov. His trial has been postponed until April 14, 2025, from its original December 2024 date.

Because of the complicated legal environment around decentralized technology, Buterin’s efforts demonstrate the rising support within the bitcoin community for the legal defense of people suffering consequences.