OpenSource software development is not a crime! || Note:follow @FreeAlexeyRoman, this account exists for historical reasons 💰💰 👉 https://xitter.cf/t.co/vJEmE883dN
Joined August 2022
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Some of the arguments in the Alexey Pertsev’s verdict could apply to any blockchain or smart contract developer.
There will be an appeal.
That needs patience and money.
Donations can be made through the following Juicebox link: juicebox.money/v2/p/713
🙏🏻
Exactly two years after my arrest in Amsterdam, I’m back behind bars, appealing a 5-year sentence. This fight isn’t just about me; it’s about our privacy rights and the future of software developers.
Please join this legal battle and donate via Juicebox.
#freealexpertsev
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
13/ Finally, today’s thread might have been about Alex, but Roman Storm’s legal battle in the US is also still ongoing.
Please follow @rstormsf as well as @alex_pertsev, and if you can, support Roman’s legal defense too.
freeromanstorm.com/
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
0/ The Tornado Cash legal saga continues.
Alex Pertsev is still fighting for his freedom.
Guest thread by @ameensol spotlighting @alex_pertsev's legal case in the Netherlands and the ongoing battle to protect privacy. 🧵
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
1/ The DOJ is retrying the money laundering and sanctions counts against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm after a hung jury.
If prosecutors believe a dev knowingly conspired with criminals, it must prove those facts in court.
Today, the SDNY prosecutors filed a letter to Judge Failla requesting a retrial date. They want to go again in October. The prosecutors want to retry me on 2 counts the jury couldn't unanimously decide on. A jury of 12 Americans heard 4 weeks of evidence and deadlocked: no verdict on money laundering, and no verdict on sanctions violations. The government's response? Try again to make writing code a crime.
@realDonaldTrump declared the "War on Crypto is over." 🇺🇸
AG @DAGToddBlanche's memo: DOJ "is not a digital assets regulator" and won't target mixers for end-user acts. @USTreasury lifted Tornado Cash sanctions entirely. ✅ Also Treasury, March 2026: "Lawful users of digital assets may leverage mixers to enable financial privacy." — official report to Congress under the GENIUS Act. But the SDNY prosecutors — same country, same DOJ — just filed to retry me anyway. 🤔
⠀ The 2 counts = up to 40 years in federal prison. ⛓️ For writing open-source code. For a protocol I don't control. For transactions I never touched. A jury already couldn't agree this was criminal. But the SDNY prosecutors want to keep trying with the hope of getting a different answer.
⠀ I have a daughter. I have a life in Seattle. I will never stop fighting for freedom. ❤️ But I need to be honest with you: Four weeks of trial. A hung jury. Now they want to do it all over again in October. I have basically exhausted my legal defense funds. And I'm staring down another full federal trial. 😔 Every dollar raised goes directly to keeping this fight alive — attorneys, experts, the full defense apparatus it takes to stand up to the SDNY prosecutors. This isn't abstract. If I can't fund a defense, they win by default. If you care about financial privacy, if you write code and believe that code is speech — this is the moment. 💻🔐 👇
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
Today, the SDNY prosecutors filed a letter to Judge Failla requesting a retrial date. They want to go again in October. The prosecutors want to retry me on 2 counts the jury couldn't unanimously decide on. A jury of 12 Americans heard 4 weeks of evidence and deadlocked: no verdict on money laundering, and no verdict on sanctions violations. The government's response? Try again to make writing code a crime.
@realDonaldTrump declared the "War on Crypto is over." 🇺🇸
AG @DAGToddBlanche's memo: DOJ "is not a digital assets regulator" and won't target mixers for end-user acts. @USTreasury lifted Tornado Cash sanctions entirely. ✅ Also Treasury, March 2026: "Lawful users of digital assets may leverage mixers to enable financial privacy." — official report to Congress under the GENIUS Act. But the SDNY prosecutors — same country, same DOJ — just filed to retry me anyway. 🤔
⠀ The 2 counts = up to 40 years in federal prison. ⛓️ For writing open-source code. For a protocol I don't control. For transactions I never touched. A jury already couldn't agree this was criminal. But the SDNY prosecutors want to keep trying with the hope of getting a different answer.
⠀ I have a daughter. I have a life in Seattle. I will never stop fighting for freedom. ❤️ But I need to be honest with you: Four weeks of trial. A hung jury. Now they want to do it all over again in October. I have basically exhausted my legal defense funds. And I'm staring down another full federal trial. 😔 Every dollar raised goes directly to keeping this fight alive — attorneys, experts, the full defense apparatus it takes to stand up to the SDNY prosecutors. This isn't abstract. If I can't fund a defense, they win by default. If you care about financial privacy, if you write code and believe that code is speech — this is the moment. 💻🔐 👇
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
🫡because security is also privacy, my signer Safe (0x5aFE...Da0 -> safe...dao :D) is fully funded via Tornado Cash. That means a Tornado-funded signer is now securing over $220M in assets. Next time someone claims Tornado Cash is "only used by criminals," show them this. Fucking proud to be part of the regenesis of TheDAO. LFG.
TheDAO is back. BULLISH
A decade later, we’re opening a new chapter.
TheDAO Security Fund: activating 75,000+ ETH to strengthen Ethereum security.
thedao.fund/
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
we just deposited 69,420 ETH into the Ethereum Beacon deposit contract, and guess what, executed straight from my Tornado Cash address. That means every future withdrawal and grant tx is now beautifully, irrevocably tainted. This is a fucking awesome precedent for a good use of Tornado Cash. Today is a good day for privacy and security! Long Live Tornado Cash, Long Live Security, Long Live Privacy and Long Live TheDAO!
PS: given the validator queue, we only need to wait 70 days now, lol
🫡because security is also privacy, my signer Safe (0x5aFE...Da0 -> safe...dao :D) is fully funded via Tornado Cash. That means a Tornado-funded signer is now securing over $220M in assets. Next time someone claims Tornado Cash is "only used by criminals," show them this. Fucking proud to be part of the regenesis of TheDAO. LFG.
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
They argued that writing code is a crime. They compared privacy tools to money laundering.
But we know the truth: Privacy is a human right. Math is not a crime.
The fight for my freedom - and for the future of open-source software - is at a critical moment. I need your voice to show the world that this community stands together.
Please, take 5 minutes to write a letter of support. Your words are the most powerful tool we have left.
freeromanstorm.com/write-let…
The fight is not over yet.
T-shirts with a message can go on to have long lives and pop up in unexpected places!
Summer 2026 will four years after the beginning of the legal nightmare for Alexey, thanks for every contribution to keep these drawn-out proceedings in the spotlight.
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
I’m beyond grateful 🙏 to @KeyringNetwork for donating their protocol fees to cover legal expenses.
@ethereumfndn is also coordinating support and standing with me.
We still have a long way to go in this appeal as the Court has decided that an additional investigation has to be done.
We keep working towards justice and your help is invaluable to #CodeWithoutFear
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
No more ankle monitor! 🎉
I’m still grounded in the Netherlands and can’t work or travel yet, but freedom starts with small steps , like finally being able to go to the sauna again.
Grateful for this progress 😌
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
Thank you @SolanaPolicy for the your support! Your donation gives us hope for justice — and for a safer future for all developers #CodeWithoutFear
1/ 📰NEWS: Solana Policy Institute is donating $500,000 to the legal defense funds of @rstormsf and @alex_pertsev - two software developers who worked on @TornadoCash, a cryptocurrency privacy protocol, and now face prison time.
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
1/ 📰NEWS: Solana Policy Institute is donating $500,000 to the legal defense funds of @rstormsf and @alex_pertsev - two software developers who worked on @TornadoCash, a cryptocurrency privacy protocol, and now face prison time.
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
SPI has donated $500,000 to the legal defense of Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev, the developers of Tornado Cash.
Writing code is not a crime.
1/ 📰NEWS: Solana Policy Institute is donating $500,000 to the legal defense funds of @rstormsf and @alex_pertsev - two software developers who worked on @TornadoCash, a cryptocurrency privacy protocol, and now face prison time.
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
Tornado Cash (@TornadoCash) is a decentralized privacy protocol using zero-knowledge proofs to break the onchain link between sender and receiver.
It is designed to provide privacy on a public blockchain.
Ethereum is for privacy.
Reminder: @alex_pertsev ’s arrest was 3 years and 3 days ago.
Three years spent in prison or with heavily restricted movement.
The legal battle in The Netherlands is still ongoing, just like @rstormsf ’s in the US.
fiod.nl/arrest-of-suspected-…
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
I stand with @rstormsf, @semenov_roman_, and @alex_pertsev.
Writing open source code is not a crime.
Online financial privacy is not a crime.
Creating permissionless software is not a crime.
Today, a jury in Manhattan issued a partial verdict in Roman Storm’s case: they convicted him on count 2, conspiracy to violate Section 1960, and did not reach a verdict for counts 1 and 3, conspiracy to launder money and violate sanctions.
We are disappointed that the jury did not recognize that Storm should not be responsible for the actions of third parties he could not control. While it is understandable that the jury could not reach a decision on all the charges — as the government made many mistakes throughout and their case was not compelling — we hoped for a different outcome for Storm.
The government’s case targeting a software developer should have never been brought in the first place and remains fundamentally flawed: Tornado Cash is non-custodial software through which people engage in self-directed, p2p transactions.
Even the government acknowledges that Tornado Cash developers did not and could not exercise control or custody over user assets.
We will continue to support Storm as he appeals the verdict on Section 1960. At the DeFi Education Fund, we will always advocate for DeFi software developers’ fundamental rights, as we fervently believe software developers deserve the freedom to build decentralized financial tools and infrastructure, including privacy-preserving technology.
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
The @ethereumfndn has generously offered to match up to $500k in further donations to support Roman's legal aid.
Roman risks up to 5 years of jail time if he doesn't win the appeal, and potentially decades if the government decides to retry Counts 1 & 3.
Free Alex Pertsev retweeted
🚨NEW: Just caught @rstormsf outside the courtroom. I asked how he was feeling. In a quiet voice, but with a noticeable smile, he told me:
“It’s a big win. The ‘1960’ charge is bullshit and we’re going to fight it all the way. You know how President Trump said ‘fight, fight, fight’? We’ll do that too.”
He expressed relief at not being remanded to jail and mentioned his 5-year-old daughter as one of the reasons he plans to keep fighting the one charge he was convicted on.
He said he’s heading back to Seattle tomorrow.
🚨NEW: Some initial confusion over the status of the third count, which the jury could not unanimously decide.
But to clarify: @rstormsf has been found guilty on one charge: conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business (aka “the 1960 charge”), which, according to Storm’s lawyer Keri Axel, carries a maximum sentence of five years. The jury was hung on the other two counts: money laundering and sanctions violations.
Judge Failla denied the government’s motion to remand him to jail, stating:
“There is a lot of fighting left in this case before sentencing, and I think Mr. Storm will stay to fight it.”
As the government team exited the courtroom, I asked AUSA Rehn for comment. He seemed caught off guard (may not have realized I was press), stammered, and said: “No comment right now, but we will… yeah…” before walking out the door.
Storm remained in the courtroom, conferring with his legal team. His emotions are hard to read as he’s remained pretty stoic throughout this whole trial. I’ll try to get a comment from him as well.
Back in again…
