U.S. Justice Department Seizes $2.8 Million in Cryptocurrency Amid Ransomware Case

According to Cointelegraph, the United States Justice Department has authorized the seizure of over $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, alongside cash and other assets, as part of a criminal investigation into an alleged ransomware operator. The department announced on Thursday that it had unsealed six warrants permitting the confiscation of $2.8 million in cryptocurrency from a wallet managed by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko. Additionally, $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle were seized. Antropenko faces charges of conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse, computer fraud and abuse, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The unsealed warrants allege that the seized cryptocurrency and other assets are proceeds from ransomware activities or were involved in laundering such proceeds. The Justice Department highlighted that these assets were laundered through various methods, including the use of the cryptocurrency mixing service ChipMixer, which was dismantled in a coordinated international operation in 2023. Antropenko reportedly laundered cryptocurrency by converting it to cash and making structured cash deposits. This seizure represents the latest action by the U.S. government involving cryptocurrency, potentially contributing to its national stockpile established by an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump in March. Earlier this week, the Justice Department announced the seizure of approximately $1 million in cryptocurrency from the ransomware group BlackSuit. Federal officials are also pursuing claims to $2.4 million in Bitcoin seized by the Dallas FBI in April. The U.S. government's holdings of Bitcoin have been a topic of discussion, particularly after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the government would not be purchasing Bitcoin as part of its crypto stockpile strategy. This announcement came shortly before Bitcoin's price dropped below $119,000. Bessent later clarified on social media that the department would explore budget-neutral methods to acquire Bitcoin. As of Thursday, the U.S. government's Bitcoin stockpile, comprising assets seized in criminal cases after victim compensation, totaled approximately $20 billion. With Bitcoin priced at $117,387 at the time of publication, estimates suggest a U.S. stockpile of 198,012 BTC, valued at over $23 billion.