**Input:** US Department of Justice Seizes Over $25 Million in Cryptocurrency Linked to International Investment Scam Network

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

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

Investigators noted that these cases involve multiple money laundering networks with victims worldwide. Criminal groups lured victims into investing through fraudulent crypto investment platforms, romance scams, and other means, then concealed the source of funds through multi-layer wallet address transfers and mixing operations. The seized funds are linked to five major investigations:

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

The second case involved a romance scam that defrauded over 200 victims. Illicit funds were routed through hundreds of intermediary wallet addresses and mixed with funds from other victims, involving approximately $12.08 million.

The third case involves a victim from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area who participated in a fraudulent crypto investment project. After failing to withdraw funds, the victim lost contact with the scammers. The involved funds amount to approximately $1.23 million.

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

In the fifth case, scammers impersonated "fund recovery" agencies, tricking victims into paying fees. The involved amount is approximately $285,000.

The U.S. Secret Service stated that these cases remain under active investigation. Law enforcement is tracing the suspects behind the scam networks and will cooperate with international law enforcement agencies to hold them accountable.