Pertsev was arrested in August 2022, shortly after Tornado Cash was blacklisted by the US government for its alleged assistance to North Korean hacker groups. This North Korean organization gained notoriety for its involvement in a $625 million hacking attack on the Axie Infinity Ronin network, as well as other significant cybercrimes. Prosecutors have accused Pertsev of being aware of the illicit source of funds processed through the platform and charged him with habitual money laundering between July 2019 and August 2022.
Developer of Tornado Cash, Alexey Pertsev, sentenced to 64 months imprisonment in the Netherlands