Alexey Pertsev, the co-founder of crypto mixer Tornado Cash, has been finally released from prison under strict electronic monitoring conditions, a big victory for the supporters of decentralization.
Alexey Pertsev shared an emotional post on X (formerly known as Twitter), thanking everyone who supported him in his legal battle through donations. “Freedom is priceless, but my freedom cost a lot of money,” he wrote.
Freedom is priceless, but my freedom cost a lot of money. My house arrest was only possible thanks to the work of lawyers, who were paid from your donations. My fight is not over yet and for a final and confident victory I still need your help. Please support our fight here… pic.twitter.com/WT1eWhXhAi
— Alexey Pertsev (@alex_pertsev) February 7, 2025
The Dutch court suspended his pretrial detention, which will allow him to remain under surveillance as he prepares his appeal against a money laundering conviction.
Pertsev, a 31-year-old Russian national, was sentenced to 64 months in a Dutch prison in May 2024 for his alleged role in facilitating illicit transactions through Tornado Cash. His conviction has been a focal point of legal and ethical discussions around DeFi and innovations like Tornado Cash.
Pertsev’s legal fight has sparked outrage in the crypto community, legal experts, and privacy advocates. Many argue that he was unfairly targeted for writing open-source code, while charges claim that he orchestrated money laundering. JusticeDAO and other decentralized advocacy groups have raised donations to support his legal defense. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin also vowed his support by donating 30 ETH to the Tornado Cash legal defense fund in May 2024.
Pertsev’s release has sparked a rally in Tornado Cash’s official cryptocurrency ‘TORN’, lifting it from $11.72 to $14.62, though, the cryptocurrency failed to sustain this rally. At the time of writing, TORN is trading at around $12.84 with a market capitalization of $67.53 million.
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