Particle.news

Download on the App Store

DOJ Files Civil Forfeiture to Recover $40,300 in Crypto Stolen via Witkoff Impersonation Scam

The action initiates a legal effort to restore frozen assets traced to a Binance account following the FBI’s blockchain tracing success.

A scammer pretending to be Steve Witkoff allegedly stole crypto from a Trump donor.
Image

Overview

  • A Nigeria-based fraudster spoofed Steve Witkoff’s email domain on Christmas Eve to trick a Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee donor into wiring 250,300 USDT.
  • The stolen funds were routed through multiple blockchain wallets within two hours to conceal their origin.
  • FBI analysts traced and froze 40,300 USDT in a Binance account linked to Lagos-based suspect Ehiremen Aigbokhan.
  • U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to return the recovered assets to the defrauded donor.
  • Authorities are pursuing an arrest warrant for Aigbokhan and working with Binance and Tether to recover more than $210,000 still outstanding.