Ethereum programmer apprehended in Turkey for suspected network abuse
In a surprising turn of events, Ethereum core developer Federico Carrone, known as "Fede's Intern," was detained in Turkey for 24 hours in January 2022 and again briefly in August 2025 upon arrival at Izmir airport. The detainment was triggered due to allegations of aiding misuse of the Ethereum blockchain through his alleged connections to Tornado Cash, a privacy mixer involved in criminal investigations globally.
The detainment was primarily based on Carrone's academic research, a paper titled "Tutela," which analyzed deanonymization techniques on Tornado Cash users rather than developing privacy features. Carrone has consistently denied any involvement in illegal activity, stating that the work was purely academic research on mixers.
International intervention and broad community support from the Ethereum ecosystem helped secure Carrone’s quick release. Following his arrest, Carrone donated $500,000 in Ether to support the legal defense of Roman Storm, a co-creator of Tornado Cash, who is facing trial in the U.S. This case has raised concerns among privacy-focused developers about increasing legal risks and potential criminalization of open-source privacy tools.
Tornado Cash operates as a cryptocurrency mixing service, obfuscating the origin and destination of transactions. The legal status of Tornado Cash in Turkey remains unclear with no formal regulatory changes or specific bans reported. However, Turkish authorities have shown heightened scrutiny toward individuals linked to Tornado Cash or similar Ethereum privacy protocols.
In Türkiye, blockchain-based service providers are required to register with the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) obligations. The authorities cite the potential for fraud, money laundering, and unregulated capital flows as reasons for tighter controls.
Several developers linked to privacy-focused protocols have faced prosecution, including Tornado Cash's Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm. Carrone is currently working with a Turkish attorney on his defense and is prepared to return to Turkey once the legal situation is clearer.
It is essential to note that Türkiye does not recognize cryptocurrencies as legal tender, and payments in digital assets are prohibited under a 2021 regulation issued by the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye. The Turkish Parliament enacted its first cryptocurrency law in 2024, under which holding, buying, selling, and exchanging cryptocurrencies remained legal.
The case of Federico Carrone has emerged amid wider debates in the blockchain sector about whether open-source developers can be held liable for creating privacy tools. This incident underscores the need for clearer regulations and guidelines to protect developers and promote innovation in the blockchain industry.
Meanwhile, the Ethereum community continues to rally around privacy-focused projects, with events like Devconnect, a week-long gathering organized by the Ethereum Foundation, bringing together blockchain developers, researchers, and community members from around the world.
References:
- CoinDesk
- Decrypt
- The Block
- The Block
- Cointelegraph
- Despite the legal uncertainty surrounding Tornado Cash in Turkey, Carrone, a Turkish-detained Ethereum developer, continues to seek legal advice from a Turkish attorney to address his case.
- The Turkish Parliament's enactment of a cryptocurrency law in 2024 has highlighted the legal ambiguity that surrounds developers involved in open-source privacy tools like Carrone and Roman Storm, co-creator of Tornado Cash.
- In light of the general news surrounding criminal investigations involving Tornado Cash, the Turkish Parliament's regulatory stance and the impact on privacy-focused technologies, such as the technology behind Tornado Cash, has become a topic of ongoing debate within the blockchain sector.
