**News Flash: Tornado Cash Developer's Legal Struggles Continue**

Alexey Pertsev, the developer behind Tornado Cash, faces extended pre-trial detention, complicating his appeal preparations. This comes amid heightened scrutiny of his cryptocurrency mixing protocol, which saw a 45% surge in deposits in early 2024. Despite Tornado Cash's non-custodial nature, Pertsev was convicted of laundering $1.2 billion and sentenced to over five years in prison. His case underscores the challenges for developers of privacy-focused technologies in navigating legal compliance. Lawmakers are pressing for answers on the protocol's continued operation post-sanctioning.