FBI Seizes $1.7 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has recently revealed that it confiscated almost $1.7 million worth of cryptocurrency between March and July of this year. The agency made this disclosure through a filing, stating that the seized property was taken for federal forfeiture due to a violation of federal law.
Key Points:
– Most of the seizures involved ether, with tokens worth $800,000 being confiscated. The largest confiscation took place in the Eastern District of Virginia, where ether valued at $463,811 was seized.
– Florida and Virginia were the states with the highest number of confiscated crypto assets.
– Apart from ether, large amounts of stablecoins were also seized. For instance, DAI worth $469,000 was confiscated in the Eastern District of Virginia, and there were eight incidents of USDT seizure.
– Other cryptocurrencies seized included $147,000 worth of bitcoin, $20,000 worth of Monero, and smaller amounts of altcoins like Solana, Cardano, and Dogecoin.
Seizures from Binance Dominate:
– The confiscated property was taken from various sources, including hardware wallets and cryptocurrency exchange accounts.
– Interestingly, all 46 listed confiscations came from Binance accounts, while there were no seizures reported from other major exchanges like Coinbase, Kraken, Kucoin, and OKX.
Hot Take:
The recent filing by the FBI highlights the government’s efforts to crack down on illegal activities within the crypto space. It also emphasizes the importance of proper security measures for cryptocurrency holders, as law enforcement agencies are actively monitoring and seizing assets. With the prevalence of scams and money laundering in the industry, it is crucial for crypto users to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of their digital assets.