Ethereum developer ‘Fede’s intern’ freed from Turkey, pledges $500,000 to Roman Storm’s defense

Turkish authorities have released “Fede’s intern,” an Argentine blockchain developer who was recently detained for allegedly helping others “misuse Ethereum.”

On Monday, Fede’s intern announced in a post on X that he’s “finally out, safe and free.”

Fede’s intern first reported Sunday that he was being held in Izmir and that Turkey’s Minister of Interior accused him of facilitating Ethereum misuse.

While the developer initially refrained from revealing further details about the accusations he was facing, he stated that he is receiving help from his legal team and various members of the crypto community.

“Yesterday I landed in Izmir, Turkey to meet with builders, friends, and local businessmen.” Fede’s intern wrote Monday, adding that his team is working on a DeFi project in Turkey. “At passport control, the police detained me and said I couldn’t enter the country.”

According to his X profile, he is associated with several crypto and blockchain projects, including investment firm Lambda Class.

Connection to a privacy protocol

Fede’s intern stated that his attorney explained that the Ministry of Interior’s accusation was allegedly connected to a privacy protocol, which the developer did not name.

Fede’s intern detailed that on the day Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev was arrested, his team received a call about an academic paper and code they had published about the crypto mixer. The work showed that it was possible to deanonymize users on Tornado Cash.

“We didn’t develop privacy features, only code and a paper showing heuristics to deanonymize users,” Fede’s intern wrote. “We never helped anyone engage in illegal activity, it was purely research on mixers and their properties.”

The Ethereum developer stated that he still lacks a complete understanding of the situation but is assembling a top-tier team to resolve the issue.

The Block has reached out to Fede’s intern and Lambda Class for more information.

Donation to Storm

Following the X post announcing his release, Fede’s intern said that he decided to donate $500,000 to Tornado Cash Co-founder Roman Storm’s legal defense.

According to Fede’s intern, Lambda Class initially planned to donate $50,000, but increased the contribution to the current amount following his experience in Turkey.

“Open source and decentralization are not just philosophical ideals,” Fede’s intern wrote. “Success in this space comes from building in the open, onboarding others, and creating movements that grow beyond the original project.”

In 2023, Storm was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and sanctions violations for operating cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash. Last week, a New York jury found Storm guilty on a charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitter. Storm’s legal team is reportedly preparing to appeal the guilty verdict.

The Ethereum Foundation has since offered to match up to $500,000 in donations to support Storm’s legal defense.

“Roman’s legal defense matters because builders everywhere need to know they can push innovation forward and that the community will stand behind them when they do,” Fede’s intern wrote.