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2mo ago

DOJ Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint for $2.3M in Bitcoin Tied to Chaos Ransomware

Filed in Texas, the suit requires transfer of 20.289 Bitcoin tied to Chaos affiliate 'Hors,' highlighting the DOJ’s use of blockchain tracing techniques.

DOJ
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Doj moves to forfeit $2.4m in bitcoin seized by fbi in crypto crime crackdown
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Overview

  • The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas filed the complaint on July 24 to forfeit 20.2891382 Bitcoin, now valued at just over $2.3 million.
  • FBI Dallas seized the coins on April 15 from a wallet linked to the ransomware-as-a-service group Chaos and its member known as ‘Hors.’
  • Authorities accessed the funds using a recovery seed phrase via the Electrum wallet, demonstrating growing law enforcement expertise in crypto asset forensics.
  • The DOJ alleges the Bitcoin represents proceeds of unlawful activity, including money laundering and extortion from ransomware attacks on protected computers.
  • This action builds on recent recoveries of Tether assets in chain-hopping scams and USDT in pig butchering schemes as part of a broader crackdown on crypto-enabled financial crime.