Key Highlights:
- On-chain investigator Specter has traced 100 ETH originating from Tornado Cash to an address designated for Richard Heart’s ProveX sacrifice phase.
- The transaction analysis connects recent mixer activity to earlier PulseChain sacrifice funds moving through intermediary wallets, though Tornado Cash inherently obscures direct deposit-to-withdrawal ties.
- The blockchain tracking assertions emerge alongside reports of Richard Heart’s detention in Turkey regarding a Finnish tax investigation, distinct from a previously dismissed U.S. SEC lawsuit.
On-Chain Tracing Links Tornado Cash to Richard Heart’s ProveX Address
Blockchain researcher Specter has reiterated findings tracking the movement of cryptocurrency between privacy mixer Tornado Cash and addresses associated with Hex and PulseChain founder Richard Heart. In an Oct. 14 post detailing transaction trails, Specter noted that the disputed digital assets were withdrawn in Jan 2026,
referencing his earlier January examination of funds moving onto the network.
According to on-chain records, the specific path involves an Ethereum transaction where Tornado Cash’s 100 ETH pool transferred 100 ETH to an intermediary wallet starting with 0xf94957 on Jan. 5 at 4:16 p.m. ET. Blockscout transaction data verifies that this intermediary address subsequently dispatched two separate transfers—one containing 1 ETH and another containing approximately 99 ETH—directly to the destination address 0xAFa2A89CB43619677d9C72E81f6d4c8a730a1022.
The ProveX Sacrifice Campaign and Historic PulseChain Flows
The receiving destination identified in the transfer route is the official deposit address published by Richard Heart during the rollout of his ProveX project. Framing the project’s contribution phase as a political expression rather than an investment scheme, Richard Heart explicitly stated in the announcement: You understand what you sacrifice can be sold and you will receive no benefit from it.
Beyond the political framing, the ProveX campaign featured a leaderboard, bonuses, and the potential distribution of a free airdrop for participants.
Specter’s broader tracking claim starts with an older address, 0x1B7BAa734C00298b9429b518D621753Bb0f6efF2. Ethereum records show it receiving 26.57 million USDT on Jan. 26, 2022, from an address Etherscan labels PulseChain: Sacrifice.
Blockscout records also show a 220 ETH transfer from that same address that day.
Specter says a further $190 million moved to the older address in March 2022 and that much of the money subsequently entered Tornado Cash. He separately estimated that Heart-linked wallets deposited more than $600 million into the mixer in October 2025. The asserted connection across the mixer remains his inference: mixers obscure the links between deposits and withdrawals.
Why This Matters
The circulation of Specter’s transaction analysis coincided directly with reports from Turkish media detailing Richard Heart’s detention in Istanbul, as documented by The Defiant. However, the legal scrutiny involving Heart in Turkey centers on an Interpol notice issued at the request of Finnish authorities regarding allegations of aggravated tax fraud, rather than judicial findings surrounding ProveX or the recent mixer transactions.
The tracing allegations follow earlier regulatory battles involving Heart in the United States. In 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil complaint alleging that proceeds from PulseChain were routed through private wallets, coin mixers, and intermediaries to acquire luxury assets. However, those claims remained formal regulatory allegations rather than established legal facts. A federal judge dismissed the SEC complaint in February 2025, and on April 21, 2025, the SEC officially informed the court that it would decline to submit an amended complaint, terminating that specific civil enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the link between Tornado Cash and Richard Heart’s ProveX address?
According to blockchain records highlighted by researcher Specter, 100 ETH exited Tornado Cash on Jan. 5 to an intermediary address, which then transferred 1 ETH and approximately 99 ETH into the official ProveX sacrifice wallet publicized by Richard Heart. Connecting deposits to specific withdrawals across Tornado Cash, however, relies on analytical inference due to the mixer’s privacy features.
Is Richard Heart’s reported detention related to the Tornado Cash transfers?
No. Reports of Richard Heart’s detention in Istanbul stem from an Interpol notice requested by authorities in Finland investigating alleged aggravated tax fraud. The situation remains entirely distinct from the on-chain movement of ProveX funds.
What happened to the SEC’s past lawsuit against Richard Heart?
The SEC filed a complaint in 2023 alleging the misuse of PulseChain proceeds through mixers and intermediaries, but the case was dismissed by a federal judge in February 2025. In April 2025, the SEC formally notified the court that it would not file an amended complaint.
