Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the U.S. Secret Service has seized over $225 million related to a "cryptocurrency investment scam."
In a notice on Wednesday, the DOJ stated that it has filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit for over $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. In the U.S. legal system, such lawsuits are filed against the assets themselves rather than the parties involved. According to U.S. officials, the cryptocurrency in question is linked to money laundering activities associated with fraudulent investment schemes that victimized individuals.
Jeanine Pirro, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and former Fox News host, stated that officials plan to use these funds to restore victims to their original state. While details regarding the investment scam remain unclear, the lawsuit claims that over 400 suspected victims fell into a false cryptocurrency scheme, resulting in millions of dollars in losses.
Stablecoin issuer Tether assisted in the DOJ investigation and stated in a blog post on Wednesday that the cryptocurrency seizure is related to "pig butchering" fraud. This practice refers to a scam where criminals persuade victims to send increasingly larger amounts of money over time to "fatten them up."
According to a report from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, cryptocurrency investment fraud led to reported losses exceeding $5.8 billion in 2024. The report also indicated that Americans lost over $9.3 billion that same year due to scams and fraud involving digital assets.
On the same day the DOJ announced the civil forfeiture lawsuit, New York officials stated that they seized $140,000 and froze an additional $300,000 related to a cryptocurrency investment scam that utilized false advertisements on social media platforms. The scheme caused losses exceeding $1 million and has confirmed over 300 victims.
During a press conference discussing the civil forfeiture case, Pirro avoided questions about whether the DOJ would examine U.S. President Donald Trump's connections to the cryptocurrency industry in a similar manner. She mentioned the recently passed "GENIUS Act" in the U.S. Senate, which aims to regulate stablecoins, but stated that the DOJ will focus on "those who have been scammed out of their life savings."
Related: Iranian exchange Nobitex suffers over $81 million loss from Israel-linked hacker attack
Original article: “U.S. Department of Justice Seeks to Seize $225 Million in Cryptocurrency Related to 'Pig Butchering' Scheme”
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
