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The Breakdown

Tornado Cash Developer Convicted

May 16, 2024
Guest Alexey Pertsev, convicted of money laundering charges in the Netherlands due to his involvement with Tornado Cash platform. Discusses the impact on developer responsibility in the crypto space, privacy rights, and the debate on holding developers accountable for software misuse. Also covers freedom of speech decisions, inflation concerns, and Powell's analysis of economic data and monetary policy.
12:42

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Developers can be held accountable for third-party misuse of protocols, shaping future app designs and defining criminal liability.
  • Verdict highlights the debate on balancing financial privacy rights and preventing criminal activities in on-chain protocols.

Deep dives

Tornado Cash Developer Convicted on Money Laundering Charges

Tornado Cash developer Alexi Pertsev was sentenced to five years and four months in prison in the Netherlands for money laundering. The court found him guilty of enabling money laundering through Tornado Cash without needing prior criminal intent, highlighting the platform's lack of legitimate non-criminal use. The ruling underscored that Pertsev's creation of an unstoppable tool for financing crimes resulted in his classification as a perpetrator of money laundering acts.

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