Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

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

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.