when

Tornado Cash

Axie Infinity

Tornado

Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev is in a tough spot. He’s asking for more financial support to keep fighting a legal battle that’s dragging him through hell.&nbsp; 
Arrested two years ago, Alexey is now struggling against well-funded government forces that want to take him down for good. The stakes? Privacy rights and the freedom to write and publish open-source code.&nbsp; 
Alexey’s backers have been loud. The support account for Alexey and Roman Storm, another open-source developer, <a href="https://x.com/FreeAlexeyRoman/status/1822318552197529939" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">said</a>:&nbsp; 
<blockquote>
 “We’re grateful for the support so far, but we still need more help. If you can, please consider donating to Alexey’s cause and spread the word. Open-source is not a crime.”
</blockquote> 
That’s the rallying cry as Alexey sits behind bars in the Netherlands, convicted of money laundering. 
<h3 id="b-tornado-cash-and-the-road-to-conviction-b">Tornado Cash and the road to conviction</h3> 
In May, the Dutch court threw the book at Alexey, sentencing him to 64 months in prison.&nbsp; 
The charge was laundering a mind-boggling $1.2 billion through Tornado Cash, a service that lets users mix their cryptocurrency to hide where it’s coming from.&nbsp; 
The court said Alexey knew full well that Tornado could be used for shady business, including laundering money for notorious groups like North Korea’s Lazarus Group.&nbsp; 
They even tied Tornado Cash to the $625 million Axie Infinity hack. Alexey’s downfall started when the U.S. Treasury slapped sanctions on Tornado Cash back in August 2022. The service got hit with claims that it was a favorite tool for money launderers.&nbsp; 
Not long after, Alexey was nabbed, kicking off a legal battle that’s still going strong. 
The case has raised big questions about whether developers should be held responsible when their open-source software gets used for illegal activities. 
Alexey’s attorney Keith Cheng is pushing for his release from pre-trial detention, arguing that he can’t properly prepare for his appeal behind bars. 
Keith added that keeping Alexey locked up violates his right to a fair trial, because he needs digital resources and expert consultations that just aren’t available in prison. 
A court hearing was recently held to decide if Alexey should be released, but the judges didn’t make a call yet.

Tornado Cash developer asks for more funding in legal battle

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