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