United States DOJ seeks to surrender $225 million in crypto from international scam network
The United States DOJ seeks to forfeit $225 million in cryptocurrency from a global scam network. This civil forfeiture case is the largest in US Secret Service history, involving over 400 victims worldwide. The DOJ aims to seize approximately $225 million in USDT held across various addresses linked to a criminal operation targeting US and foreign victims. Criminals, along with their partners, allegedly stole funds from over 430 victims and laundered the illegal profits through crypto wallets and blockchain transactions to conceal their origin.
The investigation, led by the US Secret Service and the FBI, was initiated after suspicious transactions were reported by OKX and Tether. Using blockchain analytics, investigators traced the stolen assets to multiple addresses, freezing them and placing them under the custody of the US Marshals Service. The primary goal of the forfeiture is to return funds to defrauded victims and combat crypto-confidence scams. The $225 million seizure represents the largest crypto confiscation in USSS history.
US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro emphasized the commitment to fighting crypto scams and partnering with law enforcement to seize illicit funds from foreign criminals. The forfeiture action is part of ongoing efforts to protect the public from cryptocurrency investment frauds, with billions of dollars lost annually to such schemes.
Source: CryptoBriefing
