The court decision raises alarming legal concerns for the developers of privacy-preserving blockchain protocols.
Alexey Pertsev’s pre-trial detention has been prolonged in another worrying sign for open-source code developers, particularly of privacy-preserving technologies.
Pertsev, the developer of the cryptocurrency mixing protocol Tornado Cash, will remain in detention as he awaits his trial, he announced in a Nov. 21 X post:
Pre-trial detention is prolonged. Source: Alexey Pertsev
Pertsev will now spend the next year in prison while his lawyers prepare an appeal for money laundering charges.
Alexey Pertsev, the developer behind the OFAC-sanctioned crypto mixer Tornado Cash has been denied bail while his lawyers prepare to submit an appeal for charges of money laundering.
Pertsev’s defense lawyer, Keith Cheng, told DL News the rejection of Pertsev’s bail request came as a surprise, noting that an additional request for Pertsev to gain access to a computer to prepare for his appeal was also denied.
The court said Pertsev's continued detention would not obstruct his ability to prepare his defense, adding that Pertsev's request for computer access went against its safety protocol.
