Vitalik Buterin donates over $100,000 to Tornado Cash developers’ legal defense

4 months ago

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated 30 ETH, astir $113,000, to enactment the ineligible defence of Tornado Cash developers Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm.

Etherscan data shows that Buterin donated to the “Free Pertsev and Storm” defence money connected the decentralized fundraising level Juicebox aboriginal today, May 30. The money had raised 591 ETH worthy $2.2 cardinal arsenic of property time.

Buterin’s donation is unsurprising, considering helium has been a salient advocate for crypto privateness tools and a accordant idiosyncratic of specified platforms.

Tornado Cash developers’ ineligible trouble

Over the past year, Pertsev and Storm, the Tornado Cash privateness protocol developers, person faced ineligible troubles for their relation with the crypto mixer.

Earlier this month, a Dutch tribunal sentenced Pertsev to 64 months successful situation for laundering astir $1.2 cardinal done the Tornado Cash crypto mixer betwixt July 2019 and August 2022. However, the developer has reportedly appealed against the judgement astatine the s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal successful the Netherlands.

Similarly, Storm has been detained successful the US since 2023, and his proceedings is scheduled for September.

Meanwhile, Buterin’s donation reflects the increasing enactment the developers proceed to bask wrong the crypto community. Last month, 3 blockchain advocacy groups filed amicus curiae briefs to support Storm against transgression charges successful the US, supporting his efforts to disregard the charges.

Moreover, US lawmakers Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ron Wyden person besides challenged the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) effort to grow the explanation of a money-transmitting concern to see non-custodial crypto plus bundle services similar Tornado Cash. They argued that specified wide definitions would stifle innovation and shingle assurance successful the DOJ’s respect for the regularisation of law.

Additionally, respective crypto projects are considering proposals to enactment developers. Discussions astir imaginable donations are ongoing connected Optimism, Aave, MakerDAO, YearnFi, Alchemix, and Uniswap forums.

The station Vitalik Buterin donates implicit $100,000 to Tornado Cash developers’ ineligible defense appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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