Report: Tornado Cash Developer Worked for Russian Security Agency

Alexey Pertsev, the developer of sanctioned crypto mixer Tornado Cash, was reportedly linked to Russia’s security agency FSB, the latest report from intelligence firm Kharon states. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Tornado Cash citing its use for money laundering by North Korea’s Notorious Lazarus Group. Following this ban, the Dutch government later arrested Alexey Pertsev, a resident of the Netherlands, over suspicion of “involvement in concealing criminal financial flows and facilitating money laundering”. 

However, the global community stood beside Pertsev stating that the U.S. government has been unnecessarily targeting an open-source software developer. However, national security experts believe that the public doesn’t have complete information about the sanctions. They note that Pertsev’s background highlights a murkier picture. 

Alex Zerden, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security said:

“This opens up a lot of credibility issues for the developers of Tornado Cash. This is pretty profound information that informs why the U.S. government and Dutch authorities have taken certain actions.”