US DOJ files to seize $225M in crypto tied to pig butchering schemes

Justice Department officials did not go into great detail regarding the investment scam, but said that more than 400 suspected victims had lost millions of dollars.

Officials with the US Department of Justice announced the seizure by the Secret Service of more than $225 million “linked to cryptocurrency investment scams.”

In a Wednesday notice, the DOJ said it had filed a civil forfeiture complaint against more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. In the US legal system, such complaints are filed against the assets themselves rather than parties connected to them. According to US officials, the crypto at issue was involved in money laundering from victims of fraudulent investment schemes.

Interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia and former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro said officials planned to make victims of the schemes whole again using the funds. While unclear on details regarding the investment scam, the complaint alleged that more than 400 suspected victims had fallen for fake crypto schemes, resulting in losses of millions of dollars.

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