U.S. Department of Justice Seizes Over $25 Million in Cryptocurrency Linked to International Investment Fraud Network

Odaily reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, in coordination with the U.S. Secret Service's Washington Field Office, announced that investigations into multiple international cyber fraud cases have led to the seizure of over $25 million in cryptocurrency. The funds were allegedly linked to crypto investment scams targeting residents of the United States and Canada.

This action is part of the "Scam Center Strike Force," an initiative launched in 2025 by District of Columbia Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. To date, the task force has recovered assets totaling over $800 million. U.S. prosecutors stated that on July 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia filed five civil forfeiture complaints in the U.S. District Court, seeking the forfeiture of over $25 million in crypto assets recovered from various fraud investigations.

Investigators indicated that these cases involve multiple money laundering networks with victims worldwide. Criminal groups lured victims into investing through fake crypto investment platforms and online romance scams, then laundered the funds through multi-layered wallet addresses and mixing operations to conceal the source of funds. The seized funds are associated with five major investigations:

In one case, Canadian law enforcement provided the U.S. Secret Service with wallet addresses suspected of being used to transfer illicit proceeds. Investigators froze the relevant addresses and traced over 270 suspected victim transactions, involving approximately $10.4 million;

The second case involved an online romance scam that defrauded over 200 victims. Illicit funds were transferred through hundreds of intermediate wallet addresses and commingled with funds from other victims, involving approximately $12.08 million;

The third case involved a victim from the U.S. capital region who participated in a fraudulent crypto investment project. After failing to withdraw funds, the victim lost contact with the scammers, with the involved amount being approximately $1.23 million;

In the fourth case, a victim transferred millions of dollars in cryptocurrency to a fake investment account. Investigators traced some of the funds to six wallet addresses and froze approximately $2.39 million;

In the fifth case, scammers impersonated an agency that "recovers stolen funds" to trick victims into paying fees, with the involved amount being approximately $285,000.

The U.S. Secret Service stated that these cases remain under active investigation. Law enforcement officials are tracking down the suspects behind the fraud network and will cooperate with international law enforcement agencies to hold them accountable.