U.S. DOJ Seeks Forfeiture of $15.1 Million USDT Stolen by North Korean Hackers

According to BlockBeats, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed two civil forfeiture complaints seeking to confiscate $15.1 million USDT stolen by North Korean hackers in 2023. The stolen cryptocurrency is linked to the North Korean military hacking group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 38 (APT38), which targeted four overseas virtual currency platforms in 2023. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized these funds in March 2025 and is now seeking court approval to forfeit the assets and return them to the victims. Efforts to trace, seize, and forfeit the stolen virtual currency continue as APT38 members persist in laundering funds through various virtual currency bridges, mixers, trading platforms, and over-the-counter dealers. Additionally, the DOJ announced on Friday that four U.S. citizens and one Ukrainian national have pleaded guilty to aiding North Korean IT workers in fraudulently obtaining employment at U.S. companies by providing stolen identities and hosting company laptops at their homes, creating the false impression that these workers were based in the United States.