seizure

Binance Research released a report stating that cryptocurrencies are not a haven for illegal finance. In 2025, approximately 11% of illegal cryptocurrency transaction volume was seized, which is about 55 times the recovery rate of fiat currency. This data comes from public reports by organizations such as Tether, Interpol, and T3 Financial Crime Unit, rather than estimates from a single entity.For reference, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that less than 1% of illegal fiat currency transaction volume is seized globally each year. Even excluding the Prince Group case (involving approximately $15 billion in Bitcoin), the remaining cryptocurrency seizures in 2025 are still about 10 times that of the traditional financial system. Additionally, SlowMist and PeckShield tracked that the proportion of stolen funds recovered or frozen in 2025 was between 8.3% and 13.2%. This reflects the rapid event response and close coordination among exchanges, issuers, and law enforcement agencies.The report concludes that cryptocurrency crime has not been resolved. However, the view that cryptocurrencies are particularly prone to fostering illegal activities is gradually being misunderstood.

Binance Research released a report stating that crypto assets are not a "safe haven for illegal funds." In 2025, approximately 11% of illegal fund flows in the global crypto sector have been seized or frozen, which is about 55 times the recovery rate of traditional fiat currency systems.The report pointed out that this data is derived from public law enforcement and freezing actions by institutions such as Tether, Interpol, and T3 Financial Crime Unit, rather than statistics from a single regulatory agency. At the same time, compared to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated recovery rate of less than 1% for illegal funds in the traditional financial system, the tracking and recovery efficiency in the crypto sector is significantly higher.The research also mentioned that even after excluding a single large case (involving about $15 billion in Bitcoin related to the Prince Group), the remaining crypto asset recovery rate in 2025 is still about 10 times that of the traditional financial system. Additionally, data from SlowMist and PeckShield shows that in 2025, approximately 8.3% to 13.2% of stolen crypto assets were successfully recovered or frozen, reflecting improved efficiency in security response and collaboration among exchanges, stablecoin issuers, and law enforcement agencies.The report concluded that while the issue of crypto crime still exists, the view that "crypto assets are inherently more suitable for illegal activities" is being weakened by on-chain transparency and regulatory collaboration capabilities.

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. law firm Charles Gerstein has filed a petition in the Manhattan federal court, requesting an order for Tether to transfer over $344 million of frozen USDT to victims holding judgments against Iran for unpaid terrorism claims. These USDT were previously frozen by Tether after the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control identified the related Tron wallets as belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran.The plaintiffs argue that since OFAC has designated the relevant wallets as owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Tether has frozen the related tokens, Tether can fully reissue an equivalent amount of USDT to a wallet controlled by the victims' attorney. This case is part of a broader legal strategy by Charles Gerstein aimed at leveraging the ability of crypto platforms to freeze and transfer digital assets to enforce terrorism-related judgments. Unlike the Arbitrum case involving North Korean-linked hacker funds, in this case, OFAC has clearly designated the relevant wallets as owned

According to Bloomberg, this week, the lawyer of Chen Zhi, who is accused of being the head of a large-scale "pig butchering" scam gang, filed a motion in a New York federal court to dismiss the U.S. government's seizure of a batch of Bitcoin related to him. The lawyer argued that the prosecution's allegations regarding Chen Zhi's oversight of the scam operation lack specific evidence and are merely a vague description of the overall situation in Cambodia. They also questioned the timeline of the cryptocurrency seizure, stating that these Bitcoins could not possibly be the proceeds of fraud or money laundering.The U.S. Department of Justice announced the seizure of 127,271 Bitcoins controlled by Chen Zhi last October, which were valued at approximately $15 billion at the time. Chen Zhi had his nationality revoked by Cambodia in January this year and was extradited to China. Following sanctions from the U.S. and the U.K., over $1 billion in assets have been frozen or seized in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. Human rights organizations pointed out that after the closure of the scam operation, thousands of trafficked workers have flowed out from places like Sihanoukville, facing the risk of being sold again.

According to Decrypt, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that the Fraud Center Strike Force has frozen and seized over $580 million in cryptocurrency from Southeast Asian crime networks.The task force was established in November 2025 and operates in coordination with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, Secret Service, and Department of the Treasury, primarily targeting transnational crime networks operating "pig butchering" scams in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Pirro stated that her office will seek to forfeit the related funds through legal processes and return them to victims to the greatest extent possible.Deddy Lavid, CEO of blockchain analytics platform Cyvers, told Decrypt that while the $580 million in seizures is operationally significant, it represents only a small fraction of the total activity in the global crypto fraud landscape. The company has identified approximately 27,000 active criminal groups involved in about $27.5 billion in fraud exposure.Pirro linked the Southeast Asian scam networks to organized crime in China, while Lavid pointed out that these networks are becoming increasingly decentralized, involving operators from multiple countries and cross-border money laundering hubs.

ChainCatcher news, according to Galaxy Research, since the beginning of this year, the U.S. government has authorized the Treasury to use seized digital assets as part of its strategic Bitcoin reserves.With the recent inclusion of seized assets from Prince Group into the reserves, the size of these reserves has grown by 64% overnight, now amounting to approximately 3.5% of the U.S. gold reserves in dollar terms.

ChainCatcher news, multiple Huione Group outlets in Cambodia are currently experiencing large-scale queues for withdrawals, suspected to be a bank run. The number of people queuing for withdrawals at several Huione outlets in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville ranges from dozens to hundreds, with lines extending outside the outlets. This bank run is triggered by the U.S. sanctions against Chen Zhi, the chairman of the Prince Group in Cambodia.The U.S. is seeking to seize 127,271 bitcoins (approximately $12 billion), which are linked to a multinational pig-butchering scam operated by Chen Zhi. Subsequently, $2.4 billion worth of bitcoins from Chen Zhi's associated wallet was transferred again, marking another outflow after the previous disclosure of seized bitcoins, indicating that the U.S. government may have additionally seized $2.4 billion worth of bitcoins from Chen Zhi. Market rumors suggest that these sanctions will impact Huione's assets.The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed comprehensive sanctions on 146 targets within the Prince Group's transnational criminal organization, which is headquartered in Cambodia and led by Chen Zhi, operating a multinational criminal empire through online investment scams targeting the U.S. and other regions globally. In recent years, Huione Group has faced significant international regulatory pressure due to allegations of money laundering, online fraud (such as pig-butchering scams), and illegal trading. In March 2025, its payment platform Huione Pay had its banking license revoked by the National Bank of Cambodia, leading to difficulties in user fund withdrawals and triggering a large-scale bank run. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Treasury proposed banning Huione Group from accessing the U.S. financial system in the first half of this year.

ChainCatcher message, following the transfer of 667.67 BTC from the seized funds of the Potapenko/Turogin case by the U.S. government two days ago, two wallets associated with seized criminals have transferred funds again, but the amounts are not significant.One of the wallets is related to Sergei Makinin, who is serving time for developing and distributing malware, and transferred TRX worth approximately $381.44; the other wallet is linked to Brian Krewson, who is imprisoned for money laundering, and transferred TUSD worth $393, suspected to be a small test before a large transfer.

ChainCatcher news, according to the cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase, stated on Tuesday that the company "played a key role" in the U.S. Secret Service's action to seize approximately $225 million in "stolen" crypto assets.This case dates back to 2023. Last week, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Attorney's Office jointly filed a seizure application to confiscate about $225 million in cryptocurrency from suspected fraudsters. As early as December 2023, Tether had frozen approximately $225 million worth of USDT, which was believed to be stored in self-custody wallets and was suspected to be linked to a human trafficking gang involved in "pig butchering" romance scams.As one of the largest crypto companies in the U.S., Coinbase stated that it assisted in tracking the on-chain flow of these stolen funds and helped identify victims eligible for compensation. U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet stated last week that this operation is "the largest cryptocurrency seizure case in Secret Service history." The U.S. Department of Justice also expressed gratitude for Tether's active cooperation in this investigation.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Texas has officially signed the SB1498 bill into law, allowing the state to seize Bitcoin and digital assets related to specific crimes. The seized assets will be deposited into a forfeiture fund.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Brazil's Superior Court of Justice unanimously ruled that courts can seize debtors' cryptocurrency assets to repay creditors. According to the ruling, judges can now issue notices to cryptocurrency exchanges to seize the assets of account holders for debt repayment.The memorandum published on the court's website noted that although cryptocurrencies are not legal tender, they can serve as a means of payment and a store of value. Judge Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva stated that while Brazil currently lacks formal regulation of cryptocurrencies, certain bills have recognized them as "digital representations of value."

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the UK government has proposed a new bill that expands its powers to seize and destroy cryptocurrencies related to criminal activities. The new legislation aims to enhance law enforcement's ability to confiscate illegal crypto assets and return them to victims, while also strengthening the country's overall means to combat economic crime.In addition to expanding seizure powers, the bill also includes provisions to simplify asset recovery procedures, allowing law enforcement to recover stolen funds and return them to victims. The bill seeks to ensure that those responsible for crimes involving digital assets do not retain the benefits of their illegal activities.

ChainCatcher news, a court in the UK has ordered the seizure of approximately $4.3 million worth of Bitcoin from crime boss Alexander Surin (also known as Don Car-Leone) because he failed to prove that these crypto assets were obtained through legal means. This decision was made following an investigation into Surin's financial transactions related to his criminal activities.Surin fled to Dubai after being convicted of drug trafficking in France in 2015, prior to which a significant portion of his wealth, including luxury cars and properties in London, was confiscated by authorities.

ChainCatcher news, Cointelegraph disclosed on X that the U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize $160 million in cryptocurrency from Binance accounts related to FTX, claiming that these funds are connected to the bribery case involving Sam Bankman-Fried.According to Finance feeds, court documents state that Bankman-Fried sent $40 million in Tether to a private wallet on November 16, 2021, as a bribe to Chinese officials. After the account was unfrozen, "tens of millions" in cryptocurrency were used to pay the bribe.Prosecutors claim that since the account was valued at $8.6 million in December 2023, cryptocurrency prices have been rising, and the account currently holds about $18.5 million. The account and its five associated wallets show that Bitcoin and stablecoins are deposited "almost daily," which are then converted into various other cryptocurrencies. These assets include Solana, Cardano, XRP, Internet Computer, and Avalanche.Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison testified that the total bribe amounted to $150 million. On December 21, 2023, Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the seizure of the account during Bankman-Fried's trial, in which he was convicted of seven felonies.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, U.S. prosecutors are seeking to seize cryptocurrency related to bribery charges against Sam Bankman-Fried. The government claims that this digital currency exists in an account linked to bribing Chinese officials before the collapse of FTX. As of December 12, 2023, the account holds $8.6 million, which has appreciated in value over the past 11 months, now worth approximately $18.5 million. The account contains Solana, Cardano, Ripple, Internet Computer, and Avalanche cryptocurrencies.Previously, prosecutors stated in now-dismissed charges that Chinese law enforcement froze accounts held by FTX's affiliated trading fund Alameda Research at two Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges in early 2021. SBF authorized a $40 million bribe to unfreeze $1 billion in the Chinese accounts.

ChainCatcher news, according to Ki Young Ju, the founder of CryptoQuant, on April 2, 2000 bitcoins flowed out of a wallet seized by the U.S. government.Ki Young Ju stated: "Compared to other seller liquidity, this is a relatively small and insignificant amount."

ChainCatcher news, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has seized $112 million in digital assets related to cryptocurrency investment fraud. Additionally, judges in the Arizona district, the Central District of California, and the Idaho district authorized the seizure of six virtual currency accounts.According to court documents, these virtual currency accounts were allegedly used to launder proceeds from various cryptocurrency scams. In the related schemes, perpetrators gradually gained the trust of victims through social networks, dating sites, phone calls, text messages, and other communication methods. Ultimately, the criminals persuaded them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms, and then transferred the stolen funds to their own addresses.The U.S. Department of Justice noted that in 2022, among all scams reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), investment fraud caused the highest losses, totaling $3.31 billion. Fraud involving cryptocurrency (including pig butchering) accounted for the majority of these scams, with reported losses increasing by 183% from 2021 to last year, reaching $2.57 billion. (source link)

Chain Catcher news, according to JTBC reports, regarding the case of embezzlement involving the largest shareholder and management of the cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, the South Korean prosecution conducted seizure searches yesterday on multiple companies related to Bithumb, including INBIOGEN, Vidente, and Bucket Studio, with Bithumb not being part of this search.It is reported that Vidente is a KOSDAQ-listed company and the single largest shareholder of Bithumb, holding 34.22% of Bithumb's shares. (JTBC)