Alexei Pertsev, developer of Tornado Cash, was sentenced to 64 months in prison by a Dutch court in s’Hertogenbosch.He was found guilty of money laundering, which he committed between July 9, 2019, and August 10, 2022.
The US government blacklisted Tornado Cash on August 2022 due to its connection to the North Korean hacking group, the Lazarus Group. Where it allegedly stole $625 million from the Ronin Network supporting the Axie Infinity game.
The verdict sets a precedent against Pertsev, which might have an impact on the ongoing investigations and forthcoming trials of other developers linked to Tornado Cash. Notably, two co-developers of the platform, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, currently face charges of money laundering and violating international sanctions in the United States.
This case marks a moment in the legal handling of cryptocurrency operations associated with criminal activities and highlights the increasing global crackdown on digital financial crimes.