Vitalik Buterin Donates $340K in ETH to Support Tornado Cash Developer

Vitalik Buterin, one of Ethereum's co-founders, has stepped forward to assist Alexey Pertsev, a developer linked to Tornado Cash, by donating a substantial amount of ETH to help cover his legal fees.

Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer, has faced significant legal and regulatory scrutiny, including sanctions imposed by the U.S. government in 2022.

Blockchain data shows that Buterin contributed a total of 100 ETH, valued at around $340,000, in two separate transactions through a fundraising campaign on the Juicebox platform. This campaign, designed to aid Pertsev, has received widespread support from the crypto community.

A dedicated page supporting Tornado Cash developers publicly acknowledged Buterin’s contribution, praising his support for the cause.

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Pertsev’s legal troubles escalated earlier this year when he was sentenced by a Dutch court to over five years in prison for allegedly laundering billions of dollars through Tornado Cash. Despite this, the legal landscape surrounding the protocol shifted dramatically in late 2023.

A U.S. appeals court overturned sanctions on Tornado Cash, ruling that smart contracts could not be classified as “property” under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This decision was seen as a significant win for advocates of blockchain technology and decentralization, challenging existing frameworks for regulating decentralized platforms.

Kosta Gushterov

Kosta has been working in the crypto industry for over 4 years. He strives to present different perspectives on a given topic and enjoys the sector for its transparency and dynamism. In his work, he focuses on balanced coverage of events and developments in the crypto space, providing information to his readers from a neutral perspective.