U.S. District Judge Rachel Kovner of the Eastern District of New York has dismissed claims from 9 alleged fraud victims over approximately 127,271 seized BTC. Among them, 2 timely filed applications were withdrawn, while 7 late submissions were rejected. The court ruled that the claimants failed to reasonably prove a direct connection between their lost funds and the specific BTC wallets that were seized, thus lacking the legal standing to challenge the asset forfeiture. The U.S. Department of Justice previously stated that this batch of BTC is linked to alleged fraud and money laundering involving Cambodia's Prince Holding Group and its chairman, Chen Zhi. The court noted that the victims could at most be considered general unsecured creditors; if the government ultimately succeeds in forfeiting the assets, they may still apply for compensation through the DOJ's victim compensation program. However, there is no guarantee of receiving compensation or the proportion of any payout. This ruling does not itself constitute a final confirmation of the asset forfeiture. (Cryptoslate) https://www.(wublock123.com)/news/judge-dismisses-9-claimants-claiming-120k-seized-btc-69354