<p>Alex Pertsev, the Tornado Cash developer arrested in August 2022, is back on Twitter.</p> <p>Pertsev <a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/227329/alexey-pertsev-tornado-cash-developer-free-pending-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was released from prison</a> on April 26, as previously reported by The Block, and is subject to ankle bracelet monitoring. The Dutch courts had shot down previous efforts to secure Pertsev's release. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sorry I was afk for a while, what did I miss? 👀</p> — Alexey Pertsev (@alex_pertsev) <a href="https://twitter.com/alex_pertsev/status/1651961639388815363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>Pertsev was arrested in the days after the U.S. government <a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/162105/us-treasury-sanctions-cryptocurrency-mixer-tornado-cash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sanctioned Tornado Cash</a>, an Ethereum-based transaction mixer frequently used to launder stolen coins. </p> <p>Law enforcement authorities worldwide have long targeted transaction mixers and most recently seized $46 million in bitcoin as part of an operation against a <a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/220108/europol-shuts-crypo-tumbler-chipmixer-seize-46m-in-bitcoin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">service called ChipMixer</a>. </p> <p><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/164657/developers-family-protest-arrest-of-tornado-cash-developer-in-amsterdam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pertsev's arrest</a> and subsequent incarceration drew some criticism on the grounds that Pertsev shouldn't be penalized for developing open-source code. The incident also <a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/162251/tornado-cash-sanctions-leave-industry-leaders-wondering-whats-next" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised questions</a> about the future of law enforcement actions against distributed protocols like Tornado Cash.</p><br /><span class="copyright"><p>© 2023 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.</p> </span>