DOJ Pig Butchering Seizure (July 2026)

2024-01-01

FBI San Diego and FBI Phoenix launch Operation Level Up, a proactive program to identify and notify active pig butchering victims before they lose additional funds.

2025-06-01

DOJ files civil forfeiture complaint involving more than $225 million in tokens tied to cryptocurrency investment fraud, described as the largest seizure of its kind ever executed by the U.S. Secret Service.

2025-10-14

DOJ unseals indictment of Chen Zhi (Vincent), chairman of Prince Holding Group (Cambodia), on wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges. DOJ simultaneously files civil forfeiture complaint for approximately 127,271 Bitcoin (~$15 billion), the largest forfeiture action in DOJ history.

2025-11-01

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launches the Scam Center Strike Force, a multi-agency unit targeting Chinese transnational criminal organizations running pig butchering scam compounds in Southeast Asia.

2026-01-06

Cambodian authorities arrest Chen Zhi; his Cambodian citizenship is revoked by royal decree.

2026-01-07

Chen Zhi is extradited to China rather than the United States, frustrating U.S. prosecution.

2026-01-31

Scam Center Strike Force has recovered approximately $402 million in cryptocurrency within its first three months of operation.

2026-02-26

DOJ and Secret Service announce the Scam Center Strike Force has surpassed $580 million in seized or frozen cryptocurrency from Chinese transnational criminal organizations.

2026-02-26

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announces seizure of approximately $61 million in USDT linked to a separate pig butchering fraud ring; Tether acknowledged for cooperation in tracing and transferring the assets.

2026-03-01

Operation Level Up reaches 8,935 victim notifications, with 77% of notified victims unaware they were being scammed; estimated $562 million in losses prevented. The FBI documents 93 victim referrals for suicide intervention.

2026-04-29

International law enforcement operation coordinated by the FBI alongside partners in Dubai, China, and Thailand results in 276 arrests and the dismantling of at least nine overseas cryptocurrency scam centers, with approximately $701 million seized.

2026-07-21

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia files five civil forfeiture complaints (Nos. 26-cv-2539 through 26-cv-2543) in U.S. District Court seeking forfeiture of $25,076,071.29 USDT linked to pig butchering investment fraud, romance scams, and recovery fraud. All assets were previously frozen by Tether at law enforcement's request. Cumulative Strike Force recoveries now exceed $800 million.