DOJ $225M Crypto Confidence Scam Seizure June 2026
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anchored·5QePaA…16oSSummary
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking $225,364,961 in USDT linked to a sophisticated cryptocurrency investment fraud and money laundering network, marking the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history. The funds were traced via blockchain analysis to pig-butchering scam operations allegedly run from compounds in the Philippines and Vietnam, affecting over 430 suspected victims globally. The action is part of a broader 2025-2026 federal crackdown that includes the D.C. Scam Center Strike Force, Operation Level Up, and a coordinated international sweep resulting in 276 arrests and $701 million in restrained assets.
Connected Entities
12 entities · 60 linked investigations- OKX→mentioned with→Bitcoin(65%)
- DOJ $225M Crypto Confidence Scam Seizure June 2026→mentioned with→Tether(70%)
- DOJ $225M Crypto Confidence Scam Seizure June 2026→mentioned with→Bitcoin(60%)
- DOJ $225M Crypto Confidence Scam Seizure June 2026→mentioned with→OKX(70%)
- DOJ $225M Crypto Confidence Scam Seizure June 2026→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- Ethereum→mentioned with→Bitcoin(60%)
- Shunda Scam Compound→mentioned with→Tether(60%)
- Southeast Asian Pig-Butchering Scam Compounds (276-Arrest Operation)→mentioned with→Bitcoin(65%)
- Southeast Asian Pig-Butchering Scam Compounds (276-Arrest Operation)→mentioned with→Tether(65%)
- Tether→mentioned with→Bitcoin(60%)
- + 20 more
Timeline(10 events)
30 May 2023
Shan Hanes, CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank (Kansas), begins a series of ten wire transfers totaling approximately $47.1 million of bank funds into a cryptocurrency wallet, believing he is investing in a legitimate opportunity later determined to be a pig-butchering scam.
CoinDesk7 July 2023
Heartland Tri-State Bank is closed by Kansas regulators after Hanes's wire transfers create a $35 million capital shortfall and deplete institutional liquidity.
Yahoo Finance2024
FBI launches Operation Level Up to proactively identify and contact active pig-butchering victims before they complete further transfers.
FBI.govAugust 2024
Shan Hanes is sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for bank fraud related to the $47.1 million embezzlement.
Yahoo FinanceNovember 2024
The D.C. Scam Center Strike Force is established by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, focusing on Southeast Asian pig-butchering scam compounds and their cryptocurrency laundering infrastructure.
U.S. Secret Service30 May 2025
U.S. Treasury OFAC sanctions Philippines-based digital infrastructure providers alleged to have supplied hosting and communications infrastructure for pig-butchering scam compounds.
The Register18 June 2025
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia files a civil forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking $225,364,961 in USDT linked to pig-butchering cryptocurrency investment fraud — the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history. Tether freezes and subsequently burns the targeted assets, reissuing equivalent value to the U.S. government.
DOJ Office of Public AffairsFebruary 2026
D.C. Scam Center Strike Force announces total freezes and seizures have surpassed $580 million in cryptocurrency linked to Chinese transnational criminal organizations.
U.S. Secret Service / DOJ USAO-DCMarch 2026
Operation Level Up reports approximately 8,935 victim notifications as of this date, with an estimated $562 million in prevented losses and 93 suicide intervention referrals.
FBI.gov29 April 2026
DOJ announces an international enforcement sweep — coordinated among the FBI, Dubai Police, and Chinese Ministry of Public Security — resulting in 276 arrests across multiple countries, dismantlement of 9 scam centers, seizure or restraint of $701 million in cryptocurrency, and shutdown of 503 fraudulent investment websites. Federal criminal charges for wire fraud and money laundering are unsealed in San Diego against six individuals including Burmese and Indonesian nationals.
The Hacker News / DOJ OPADecision Log
- slot 426635413 · hash 4nhdzLKmZGH3iPqy3zDFgoYdJ3KhfVfn67k6MLe5p1qh
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (1 decision). 20 of 22 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 6/15/2026, 12:36:33 PM
last updated: 6/15/2026, 12:36:33 PM
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