Overview
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston filed a verified civil forfeiture complaint on November 9, 2026 seeking $456,602 in USDT tied to two seized cryptocurrency wallets.
- Federal filings say three victims in Massachusetts, Ohio, and California were courted on dating and social platforms and steered into fake crypto investment sites that showed fabricated profits.
- Court records show one Norwood victim made 26 transactions totaling about $1.89 million before losing access to funds, a loss far larger than the amount the government is now pursuing.
- Investigators traced proceeds into two wallets and seized the stablecoin, but prosecutors note third parties may file competing claims and that forfeiture proceeds only cover a portion of reported losses.
- The action is part of a broader 2026 DOJ effort to use civil forfeiture to reclaim crypto from “pig butchering” romance scams, and USDT is often targeted because it preserves fiat value on public blockchains.