Alexey Pertsev, developer of Tornado Cash, has reportedly lodged an appeal with the Dutch s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal following his recent conviction on charges of money laundering. The appeal comes after Pertsev was sentenced to 64 months in prison by a Dutch court on May 14 for laundering around $1.2 billion through the Tornado Cash crypto mixer from July 2019 to August 2022.

Pertsev filed his appeal within the 14-day timeframe mandated by the court for challenging its decision. However, the approval and scheduling of the appeal hearing could take a significant amount of time, potentially extending over several months. While awaiting the commencement of the appeal proceedings, Pertsev remains free on bail.

The conviction of Pertsev has sparked criticism from within the cryptocurrency community, with many viewing it as a threat to privacy, crypto assets, and open-source technology. Joel Valenzuela, a business development officer for Dash, commented on the matter, highlighting the role of Tornado Cash in providing privacy to users and noting the protocol's decentralized nature.

Meanwhile, the outcome of Pertsev's case may impact the ongoing legal proceedings involving the co-founder of the protocol in the United States. In August 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm on charges related to money laundering and violations of sanction laws.

Despite the legal challenges faced by its founders, Tornado Cash continues to be utilized within the crypto community. Chris Blec, host of the Proof of Decentralization Podcast, mentioned that despite Pertsev's sentencing, Tornado Cash remains operational and actively used on the Ethereum blockchain, with limited avenues for government intervention.

Additionally, a recent report by the United Nations highlighted the use of Tornado Cash by the North Korea-backed Lazarus Group for illicit activities, indicating that the hacker group laundered $147.5 million through the crypto mixer in March 2024.