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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"b2c52957-6027-4544-8e3d-8f7e0bb93f79","kind":"publish","page_slug":"doj-225m-pig-butchering-seizure-campaign-2026","published_at":"2026-09-21T17:15:28.120Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"DOJ $225M Pig Butchering Seizure Campaign (2026)","sections":[{"content":"Pig butchering (Chinese: sha zhu pan) is a category of long-con fraud in which operators cultivate romantic or platonic trust with targets over days, weeks, or months — typically through social media, dating applications, messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram, or unsolicited text messages — before steering victims toward fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms. The name derives from the practice of 'fattening the pig before slaughter': victims are shown fabricated profits and encouraged to deposit increasing sums, creating psychological commitment before the platform becomes inaccessible and operators disappear with the funds. Victims are often also subjected to secondary 'recovery fraud,' in which new operators — sometimes the same network — impersonate law enforcement agencies or asset-recovery firms, charging additional fees on false promises of returning stolen funds. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) attributed more than $5.8 billion in annual losses to cryptocurrency investment fraud as of 2024. The DOJ's Operation Level Up, a victim-notification initiative, had by March 2026 contacted 8,935 identified victims — 77 percent of whom were unaware the scam was ongoing — and estimated $562 million in losses prevented through early intervention. Ninety-three victims were referred for suicide intervention during this effort.","heading":"Overview: Pig Butchering Fraud Methodology","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"credibility":1,"name":"NBC News: DOJ Seizes Record $225 Million in Crypto Tied to Global Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/doj-seizes-record-225-million-crypto-tied-global-pig-butchering-scams-rcna213790"}]},{"content":"On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking approximately $225,364,961 in USDT (Tether) — the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history at the time of filing. The action was brought as an in rem civil forfeiture, meaning no individual defendants were named; the complaint proceeds against the assets themselves. Investigators from the U.S. Secret Service San Francisco Field Office and the FBI identified at least 93 known scam deposit addresses, 35 consolidation wallets, and 144 accounts on the OKX exchange as part of the laundering infrastructure. Seven USDT Token Groups (labeled A through G in the complaint) were seized across the Ethereum, Bitcoin, and TRON blockchain networks. Over 430 suspected victims were identified globally, including at least 60 confirmed U.S. victims. Geographic indicators in the complaint — including Vietnamese KYC documents and IP addresses geolocating to the Philippines — pointed to scam compound operations in the Philippines region. Tether cooperated with investigators by freezing and processing the targeted tokens. A notable victim linked in the complaint was Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart, Kansas: its former CEO, Shan Hanes, embezzled approximately $47.1 million from the bank — sending 3,116,350 USDT on June 28, 2023, to a fraud address — as a direct result of falling victim to a pig butchering scheme. The bank collapsed in July 2023 and was taken over by the FDIC. Hanes pleaded guilty and was sentenced in August 2024 to 293 months (approximately 24 years) in federal prison, the longest white-collar crime sentence in Kansas federal court history. As of the investigation date, the $225 million forfeiture complaint remains a civil proceeding; no court has entered a final forfeiture judgment.","heading":"June 2025 Civil Forfeiture: $225 Million USDT","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: US DOJ Announces Largest Ever Seizure of Funds Related to Crypto Scams","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/us-doj-announces-largest-ever-seizure-of-funds-related-to-crypto-scams"},{"credibility":1,"name":"NBC News: DOJ Seizes Record $225 Million in Crypto Tied to Global Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/doj-seizes-record-225-million-crypto-tied-global-pig-butchering-scams-rcna213790"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC: DOJ Seizes Record $225 Million in Crypto Tied to Global Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/18/doj-crypto-scams.html"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinDesk: DOJ Ties Kansas Bank Collapse to $225 Million Pig Butchering Seizure","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/06/18/doj-ties-kansas-bank-collapse-to-225-million-pig-butchering-seizure"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC: Cryptocurrency pig butchering scam wrecks Kansas bank, sends ex-CEO to prison for 24 years","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/21/cryptocurrency-shan-hanes-pig-butchering-scam.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-KS: Former Executive Pleads Guilty After Losing Bank's $47.1 Million in Crypto Scheme","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/fmr-executive-pleads-guilty-after-losing-banks-471-million-crypto-scheme"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Fortune: DOJ $225 Million Philippines Scam Compound USDT Pig Butchering","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fortune.com/crypto/2025/06/18/doj-225-million-phillipines-scam-compound-usdt-pig-butchering"}]},{"content":"On February 25, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the seizure of approximately $61 million in USDT linked to pig butchering cryptocurrency investment scams — at the time one of the largest single stablecoin asset seizures tied to romance-based crypto fraud in U.S. history. The investigation was initiated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and analysts in Raleigh, North Carolina, following a victim complaint. The funds were traced through multiple cryptocurrency wallets and addresses using blockchain analytics. Tether cooperated with HSI to enable the recovery. This action was separate from the June 2025 $225 million forfeiture action filed in the District of Columbia, though it involved the same broad category of Southeast Asian-operated pig butchering networks. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated at the time that the company had frozen around $4.2 billion in assets linked to illicit activity through collaboration with over 310 law enforcement agencies across more than 64 countries.","heading":"February 2026: $61 Million Tether Seizure (EDNC)","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-EDNC: US Attorney's Office EDNC Announces Seizure of $61 Million Dollars' Worth of Cryptocurrency","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/us-attorneys-office-ednc-announces-seizure-61-million-dollars-worth-cryptocurrency"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Tether.io: Tether Acknowledged by DOJ for Support in $61 Million Seizure Linked to Pig Butchering Fraud","type":"official","url":"https://tether.io/news/tether-acknowledged-by-doj-for-support-in-61-million-seizure-linked-to-pig-butchering-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Hacker News: DoJ Seizes $61 Million in Tether Linked to Pig Butchering Crypto Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/doj-seizes-61-million-in-tether-linked.html"}]},{"content":"The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia established the Scam Center Strike Force in November 2025 under U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Rick Blaylock, and John Borchert leading cryptocurrency seizure operations. By February 26, 2026 — approximately three months after launch — the Strike Force announced that total frozen and seized cryptocurrency from Chinese transnational criminal networks had surpassed $580 million. Participating agencies included the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the DOJ Criminal Division (including CCIPS, the Fraud Section, and the Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section). The Strike Force's activities target scam networks operating primarily out of Burma, Cambodia, and Laos, which collectively generate an estimated $10 billion per year in losses from American victims. On July 21, 2026, the Strike Force filed five additional civil forfeiture complaints targeting over $25 million in USDT across five distinct fraud schemes. These complaints proceed in rem with no named defendants. The named fraudulent platforms across the July 2026 complaints include MicMarkets (26-cv-2540, approximately $1.77 million); a cluster of spoofed Zoomex domains including zoomex-net.com and zoomex-pay.com (26-cv-2539, approximately $2.39 million); an approximately $78 million approval-phishing and task-fraud network with associated platforms BitaGold, SteemFly, Smart Labs, and Bdswg.com (26-cv-2542, approximately $10.4 million restrained); a recovery-fraud impersonation scheme targeting British victims in which perpetrators impersonated the UK National Crime Agency, a fictitious firm called CatLabs, and HMRC (26-cv-2541, approximately $285,000); and a fifth investment fraud platform with locked withdrawals (26-cv-2543, approximately $1.23 million). Tether voluntarily froze every subject address at law enforcement request in each of the five July 2026 complaints, in some cases as many as twenty months before any complaint was filed.","heading":"D.C. Scam Center Strike Force: $580 Million Frozen","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"U.S. Secret Service: D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures of Cryptocurrency from Chinese Transnational Criminals Tops $580 Million","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.secretservice.gov/newsroom/releases/2026/02/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-cryptocurrency-chinese-transnational"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-DC: D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures of Cryptocurrency from Chinese Transnational Criminals Tops $580 Million","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-cryptocurrency-chinese-transnational-criminals-tops"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-DC: New Scam Center Strike Force Battles Southeast Asian Crypto Investment Fraud Targeting Americans","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/new-scam-center-strike-force-battles-southeast-asian-crypto-investment-fraud-targeting"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Armstrong & Bradylyons: DOJ Crypto Forfeiture $25 Million — Five Civil Complaints","type":"other","url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: The Scam Center Strike Force — A Whole-of-Government Response to Global Crypto Fraud","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/the-scam-center-strike-force-a-whole-of-government-response-to-global-crypto-fraud"}]},{"content":"On or around May 8, 2026, the DOJ announced a coordinated international takedown resulting in at least 276 arrests and the dismantlement of at least nine scam centers. The operation was a joint effort by the FBI, the Dubai Police Department (UAE Ministry of Interior), the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, and the Royal Thai Police. Of the 276 arrested, 275 were taken into custody by Dubai authorities; one additional arrest was made by the Royal Thai Police. Separately, the Southern District of California charged six named defendants with federal wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Named defendants include: Thet Min Nyi (27, Burmese national, also known as 'Ko Thet' and 'Pixy'), charged under case 26CR762-RSH, indicted by a Southern District of California grand jury in March 2026, alleged manager and recruiter for Ko Thet Company; Wiliang Awang (23, Indonesian national, also known as Wiliang Ng, Wiliang Huang, Lincon, Lincoln), charged under criminal complaints 26MJ2335-AHG and 26MJ2437-AHG, filed April 2026, alleged operator associated with Sanduo Group; Andreas Chandra (29, Indonesian national, also known as Jay), charged in the same April 2026 complaints, alleged operator associated with Sanduo Group; and Lisa Mariam (29, Indonesian national, also known as Melissa Chloe, Cipul, Naomi May Lingston, Vanessa, Bella Theresia), charged in April 2026 complaints, alleged operator associated with Giant Company. Two additional co-conspirators remain at large as fugitives. The three named alleged scam operations are Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, and Giant Company. The Shunda scam compound in Min Let Pan, Myanmar, was seized by the Karen National Liberation Army in November 2025 after having operated from January through November 2025; defendants Huang Xingshan (also known as Ah Zhe) and Jiang Wen Jie (also known as Jiang Nan) were charged with wire fraud conspiracy and arrested by Thai authorities in early 2026. All charges against named defendants remain allegations; no convictions have been reported as of the investigation date.","heading":"May 2026 International Operation: 276 Arrests, Nine Scam Centers Dismantled","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests; Alleged Managers and Recruiters Charged in San Diego","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS CI: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/coordinated-takedown-of-scam-centers-leads-to-at-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters-charged-in-san-diego"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Hacker News: Global Crackdown Arrests 276, Shuts 9 Crypto Scam Centers, Seizes $701M","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/global-crackdown-arrests-276-shuts-9.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI San Diego: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/coordinated-takedown-of-scam-centers-leads-to-at-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters-charged-in-san-diego"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Breitbart News: DOJ: International Takedown of Crypto Scam Centers Nets 276 Arrests","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/05/08/doj-international-takedown-of-cryptocurrency-scam-centers-nets-276-arrests/"}]},{"content":"On October 14, 2025, the DOJ unsealed a federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York charging Chen Zhi, founder and chairman of Cambodia-based Prince Holding Group, with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy (U.S. v. Chen Zhi, No. 1:25-cr-00312, E.D.N.Y., filed October 8, 2025). Prosecutors allege Chen Zhi operated forced-labor scam compounds in Cambodia where trafficked workers were compelled to conduct pig butchering fraud targeting American victims. The indictment alleges one Brooklyn-linked network laundered approximately $18 million between May 2021 and August 2022, and that the broader operation generated as much as $30 million per day at its alleged peak, affecting over 250 identified American victims. In a parallel action (In re Approximately 127,271 Bitcoin, No. 1:25-cv-05745, E.D.N.Y., filed October 14, 2025), the DOJ filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking approximately 127,271 Bitcoin valued at approximately $15 billion — described at the time of filing as the largest forfeiture action in DOJ history. On October 14, 2025, OFAC designated 146 individuals and entities associated with Chen Zhi and Prince Holding Group as transnational criminal organizations, targeting infrastructure in at least ten Cambodian scam compounds and offshore financial hubs in Singapore, Palau, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. On October 15, 2025, FinCEN issued a Section 311 final rule severing the Huione Group — a Cambodia-based financial services conglomerate alleged to have laundered over $4 billion between August 2021 and January 2024 — from the U.S. financial system by prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from maintaining correspondent or payable-through accounts with the group. Chen Zhi was subsequently arrested in Cambodia and, according to reporting, deported to China for investigation by Chinese authorities. All charges against Chen Zhi remain allegations; no conviction has been reported as of the investigation date.","heading":"October 2025: Chen Zhi / Prince Holding Group — $15 Billion Bitcoin Forfeiture","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Chairman of Prince Group Indicted for Operating Cambodian Forced Labor Scam Compounds Engaged in Cryptocurrency Fraud Schemes","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chairman-prince-group-indicted-operating-cambodian-forced-labor-scam-compounds-engaged"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC: DOJ Seizes $15 Billion in Bitcoin from Massive Pig Butchering Scam Based in Cambodia","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/14/bitcoin-doj-chen-zhi-pig-butchering-scam.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CBS News: Feds Seize $15 Billion in Bitcoin After Busting Alleged Global Crypto Scam","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bitcoin-seizure-chen-zhi-pam-bondi-cambodia/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Paul, Weiss: DOJ and Treasury Undertake Significant Enforcement Actions Targeting Southeast Asian Scam Networks","type":"research","url":"https://www.paulweiss.com/insights/client-memos/doj-and-treasury-undertake-significant-enforcement-actions-targeting-southeast-asian-scam-networks-underscoring-cyber-enabled-fraud-as-an-enforcement-priority"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: Operation Prince — Inside the Global Effort That Led to the Largest Forfeiture in US History","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/operation-prince-inside-the-global-effort-that-led-to-the-largest-forfeiture-in-us-history"},{"credibility":2,"name":"DL News: Crypto Pig Butchering Kingpin Who Lost $15bn in Bitcoin to US Gov. Arrested in Cambodia","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/people-culture/prince-group-chen-zhi-arrested-in-cambodia-after-doj-seizes-bitcoin/"}]},{"content":"Tether (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin issuer by market capitalization, has emerged as a consistent cooperative partner across multiple distinct U.S. law enforcement actions in this campaign. In the June 2025 $225 million forfeiture action, Tether assisted by freezing and processing targeted tokens at investigators' request. In the February 2026 $61 million EDNC seizure, Tether cooperated with Homeland Security Investigations to enable asset recovery. In the July 2026 Strike Force forfeiture complaints, Tether voluntarily froze all five sets of subject addresses upon law enforcement contact — in at least one instance freezing the address as many as twenty months before a formal complaint was filed. As of February 2026, Tether had frozen approximately $4.2 billion in assets associated with illicit activity through cooperation with more than 310 law enforcement agencies across more than 64 countries. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino publicly credited blockchain transparency as a tool enabling rapid law enforcement response. Note: Tether's cooperation in these actions has been characterized favorably by DOJ press releases; independent analysis of the broader Tether ecosystem and its regulatory status is outside the scope of this entry.","heading":"Tether Cooperation Framework","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Tether.io: Tether Acknowledged by DOJ for Support in $61 Million Seizure Linked to Pig Butchering Fraud","type":"official","url":"https://tether.io/news/tether-acknowledged-by-doj-for-support-in-61-million-seizure-linked-to-pig-butchering-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Armstrong & Bradylyons: DOJ Crypto Forfeiture $25 Million — Five Civil Complaints, Frozen Tether","type":"other","url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"credibility":3,"name":"CoinAlert News: Tether Freezes $4.2 Billion in USDT, DOJ Strike Force Seizes $580M in Crackdown on Crypto Crime","type":"news_article","url":"https://coinalertnews.com/news/2026/02/27/tether-doj-crackdown-crypto-crime"}]},{"content":"Across the various DOJ actions in this campaign, the following fraudulent platforms and infrastructure have been identified in court filings or official press releases. Platforms identified in July 2026 D.C. Strike Force complaints: MicMarkets — a fake cryptocurrency trading platform used in a romance/dating-app recruitment scheme (26-cv-2540); spoofed Zoomex domains — zoomex-net.com and zoomex-pay.com, which impersonated a legitimate exchange and used the decentralized exchange Tokenlon for laundering (26-cv-2542); BitaGold, SteemFly, Smart Labs, and Bdswg.com — platforms associated with an approximately $78 million approval-phishing and task-fraud network (26-cv-2542); CatLabs — a fictitious asset-recovery firm used in a secondary recovery fraud targeting British victims (26-cv-2541). Infrastructure identified in the June 2025 $225 million forfeiture complaint: 93 known scam deposit addresses; 35 consolidation wallets; 144 accounts on OKX exchange used in laundering; seven USDT Token Groups (A through G) spanning Ethereum, Bitcoin, and TRON blockchains. Infrastructure identified in the May 2026 criminal operation: Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, and Giant Company — three alleged scam operations managed by the San Diego-charged defendants; the Shunda compound in Min Let Pan, Myanmar; and the fortuneprimeglobalirts.com domain (Tai Chang domain), seized as part of Operation Level Up. The October 2025 Prince Holding Group action additionally identified at least ten Cambodian scam compounds and the Huione Group financial infrastructure. Note: None of the above named platforms is a legitimate operating exchange or investment service. Each is alleged by DOJ to be fraudulent infrastructure created for the purpose of deceiving victims.","heading":"Named Fraudulent Platforms and Infrastructure","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Armstrong & Bradylyons: DOJ Crypto Forfeiture $25 Million — Five Civil Complaints, Frozen Tether, No Defendants","type":"other","url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: US DOJ Announces Largest Ever Seizure of Funds Related to Crypto Scams","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/us-doj-announces-largest-ever-seizure-of-funds-related-to-crypto-scams"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"}]},{"content":"Victims of pig butchering schemes documented across these proceedings span a wide demographic and geographic range. The June 2025 $225 million forfeiture action identified over 430 suspected victims globally, with at least 60 confirmed U.S. victims. The July 2026 D.C. Strike Force complaints identified 17 confirmed victims in the MicMarkets case, 2 primary victims in the Zoomex spoof case (losing approximately $5.25 million in ether), 243 or more confirmed and suspected transactions in the $78 million network case, and 2 British victims in the recovery-fraud case (one losing more than £2 million, one losing £12,000). Operation Level Up had by March 2026 identified 8,935 victims across the broader pig butchering landscape; 77 percent were unaware a scam was underway at the time of notification, and 93 were referred for suicide intervention — a figure underscoring the psychological severity of these frauds. The October 2025 Prince Holding Group indictment identified over 250 American victims from Chen Zhi's alleged Cambodia-based network. A notable single-victim institutional case is the Heartland Tri-State Bank collapse: former CEO Shan Hanes, himself a victim of pig butchering manipulation, embezzled $47.1 million from the bank, causing its failure and wiping out equity investors.","heading":"Victim Profile and Scale","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"NBC News: DOJ Seizes Record $225 Million in Crypto Tied to Global Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/doj-seizes-record-225-million-crypto-tied-global-pig-butchering-scams-rcna213790"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Armstrong & Bradylyons: DOJ Crypto Forfeiture $25 Million — Five Civil Complaints","type":"other","url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Chairman of Prince Group Indicted","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chairman-prince-group-indicted-operating-cambodian-forced-labor-scam-compounds-engaged"}]},{"content":"The enforcement campaign remains active and ongoing as of September 2026. The June 2025 $225 million civil forfeiture complaint has not yet reached a final judgment; as an in rem civil action, the DOJ must still convince the court that the targeted assets are proceeds of fraud before permanent forfeiture and victim restitution can occur. The July 2026 five-complaint set similarly awaits adjudication. The criminal charges in the Southern District of California against Thet Min Nyi, Wiliang Awang, Andreas Chandra, and Lisa Mariam are in pretrial posture; two co-conspirators remain fugitives. Chen Zhi was arrested in Cambodia but deported to China rather than extradited to the United States, leaving the E.D.N.Y. criminal case (No. 1:25-cr-00312) unresolved as to him. The $15 billion Bitcoin civil forfeiture action (No. 1:25-cv-05745) in E.D.N.Y. is also pending. Enforcement limitations include the absence of formal extradition treaties with Cambodia and the complex jurisdictional reach of scam infrastructure hosted across Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and UAE. The 276 individuals arrested in Dubai have not all been identified publicly, and the disposition of most of those arrests is not yet reported in open sources consulted for this investigation.","heading":"Status of Proceedings and Enforcement Gaps","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"credibility":2,"name":"DL News: Crypto Pig Butchering Kingpin Who Lost $15bn in Bitcoin to US Gov. Arrested in Cambodia","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/people-culture/prince-group-chen-zhi-arrested-in-cambodia-after-doj-seizes-bitcoin/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Paul, Weiss: DOJ and Treasury Enforcement Actions Targeting Southeast Asian Scam Networks","type":"research","url":"https://www.paulweiss.com/insights/client-memos/doj-and-treasury-undertake-significant-enforcement-actions-targeting-southeast-asian-scam-networks-underscoring-cyber-enabled-fraud-as-an-enforcement-priority"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests; Alleged Managers and Recruiters Charged in San Diego","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting Americans","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-DC: D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures of Cryptocurrency from Chinese Transnational Criminals Tops $580 Million","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-cryptocurrency-chinese-transnational-criminals-tops"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-DC: New Scam Center Strike Force Battles Southeast Asian Crypto Investment Fraud Targeting Americans","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/new-scam-center-strike-force-battles-southeast-asian-crypto-investment-fraud-targeting"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-EDNC: US Attorney's Office EDNC Announces Seizure of $61 Million Dollars' Worth of Cryptocurrency","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/us-attorneys-office-ednc-announces-seizure-61-million-dollars-worth-cryptocurrency"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ OPA: Chairman of Prince Group Indicted for Operating Cambodian Forced Labor Scam Compounds Engaged in Cryptocurrency Fraud Schemes","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chairman-prince-group-indicted-operating-cambodian-forced-labor-scam-compounds-engaged"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ USAO-KS: Former Executive Pleads Guilty After Losing Bank's $47.1 Million in Crypto Scheme","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/fmr-executive-pleads-guilty-after-losing-banks-471-million-crypto-scheme"},{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS CI: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/coordinated-takedown-of-scam-centers-leads-to-at-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters-charged-in-san-diego"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI San Diego: Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/coordinated-takedown-of-scam-centers-leads-to-at-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters-charged-in-san-diego"},{"credibility":1,"name":"U.S. Secret Service: D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures of Cryptocurrency from Chinese Transnational Criminals Tops $580 Million","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.secretservice.gov/newsroom/releases/2026/02/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-cryptocurrency-chinese-transnational"},{"credibility":1,"name":"NBC News: DOJ Seizes Record $225 Million in Crypto Tied to Global Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/doj-seizes-record-225-million-crypto-tied-global-pig-butchering-scams-rcna213790"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC: DOJ Seizes Record $225 Million in Crypto Tied to Global Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/18/doj-crypto-scams.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC: DOJ Seizes $15 Billion in Bitcoin from Massive Pig Butchering Scam Based in Cambodia","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/14/bitcoin-doj-chen-zhi-pig-butchering-scam.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC: Cryptocurrency Pig Butchering Scam Wrecks Kansas Bank, Sends Ex-CEO to Prison for 24 Years","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/21/cryptocurrency-shan-hanes-pig-butchering-scam.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CBS News: Feds Seize $15 Billion in Bitcoin After Busting Alleged Global Crypto Scam","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bitcoin-seizure-chen-zhi-pam-bondi-cambodia/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinDesk: DOJ Ties Kansas Bank Collapse to $225 Million Pig Butchering Seizure","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/06/18/doj-ties-kansas-bank-collapse-to-225-million-pig-butchering-seizure"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Hacker News: DoJ Seizes $61 Million in Tether Linked to Pig Butchering Crypto Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/doj-seizes-61-million-in-tether-linked.html"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Hacker News: Global Crackdown Arrests 276, Shuts 9 Crypto Scam Centers, Seizes $701M","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/global-crackdown-arrests-276-shuts-9.html"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: US DOJ Announces Largest Ever Seizure of Funds Related to Crypto Scams","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/us-doj-announces-largest-ever-seizure-of-funds-related-to-crypto-scams"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: Operation Prince — Inside the Global Effort That Led to the Largest Forfeiture in US History","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/operation-prince-inside-the-global-effort-that-led-to-the-largest-forfeiture-in-us-history"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: The Scam Center Strike Force — A Whole-of-Government Response to Global Crypto Fraud","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/the-scam-center-strike-force-a-whole-of-government-response-to-global-crypto-fraud"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Paul, Weiss: DOJ and Treasury Undertake Significant Enforcement Actions Targeting Southeast Asian Scam Networks","type":"research","url":"https://www.paulweiss.com/insights/client-memos/doj-and-treasury-undertake-significant-enforcement-actions-targeting-southeast-asian-scam-networks-underscoring-cyber-enabled-fraud-as-an-enforcement-priority"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Armstrong & Bradylyons: DOJ Crypto Forfeiture $25 Million — Five Civil Complaints, Frozen Tether, No Defendants","type":"other","url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Tether.io: Tether Acknowledged by DOJ for Support in $61 Million Seizure Linked to Pig Butchering Fraud","type":"official","url":"https://tether.io/news/tether-acknowledged-by-doj-for-support-in-61-million-seizure-linked-to-pig-butchering-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"DL News: Crypto Pig Butchering Kingpin Who Lost $15bn in Bitcoin to US Gov. Arrested in Cambodia","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/people-culture/prince-group-chen-zhi-arrested-in-cambodia-after-doj-seizes-bitcoin/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Fortune: DOJ $225 Million Philippines Scam Compound USDT Pig Butchering","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fortune.com/crypto/2025/06/18/doj-225-million-phillipines-scam-compound-usdt-pig-butchering"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Banking Dive: Former Kansas Bank CEO Gets 24 Years in Prison","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bankingdive.com/news/former-kansas-bank-ceo-shan-hanes-24-years-crypto-embezzlement-pig-butchering-scam/724849/"}],"summary":"A series of escalating U.S. Department of Justice enforcement actions from 2023 through mid-2026 targeted transnational 'pig butchering' cryptocurrency fraud networks primarily operating out of Southeast Asia. The campaign's most prominent single action was the June 2025 civil forfeiture complaint seeking approximately $225.4 million in USDT — the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history — filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and linked to over 430 suspected victims. Parallel criminal indictments, a coordinated May 2026 international operation producing 276 arrests and the dismantlement of nine scam centers, a February 2026 seizure of $61 million in Tether, and a broader $580 million freeze by the D.C. Scam Center Strike Force collectively represent the most sustained U.S.-led enforcement campaign against crypto investment fraud ever undertaken.","timeline":[{"date":"2023-05-01","event":"Shan Hanes, CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank (Elkhart, Kansas), begins transferring bank funds to a pig butchering scam address, ultimately sending $47.1 million across 10 wire transfers through July 2023.","source":"DOJ USAO-KS","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/fmr-executive-pleads-guilty-after-losing-banks-471-million-crypto-scheme"},{"date":"2023-06-28","event":"Shan Hanes sends 3,116,350 USDT from Heartland Tri-State Bank to a fraud deposit address later identified in the DOJ's $225 million forfeiture complaint.","source":"TRM Labs","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/us-doj-announces-largest-ever-seizure-of-funds-related-to-crypto-scams"},{"date":"2023-07-01","event":"Heartland Tri-State Bank collapses and is taken over by the FDIC following the $47.1 million embezzlement by CEO Shan Hanes.","source":"CNBC","source_url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/21/cryptocurrency-shan-hanes-pig-butchering-scam.html"},{"date":"2024-05-01","event":"Shan Hanes pleads guilty to one count of embezzlement as a bank officer.","source":"DOJ USAO-KS","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/fmr-executive-pleads-guilty-after-losing-banks-471-million-crypto-scheme"},{"date":"2024-08-21","event":"Shan Hanes sentenced to 293 months (approximately 24 years) in federal prison — the longest white-collar sentence in Kansas federal court history.","source":"CNBC","source_url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/21/cryptocurrency-shan-hanes-pig-butchering-scam.html"},{"date":"2025-01-01","event":"Shunda scam compound begins operations in Min Let Pan, Myanmar.","source":"DOJ OPA: Scam Center Strike Force","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"date":"2025-06-18","event":"U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia files civil forfeiture complaint seeking approximately $225,364,961 in USDT — the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history. Over 430 victims identified; 93 scam deposit addresses, 35 consolidation wallets, and 144 OKX accounts cited in complaint.","source":"NBC News / TRM Labs","source_url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/doj-seizes-record-225-million-crypto-tied-global-pig-butchering-scams-rcna213790"},{"date":"2025-07-25","event":"Zoomex spoof domains (zoomex-net.com, zoomex-pay.com) subject USDT frozen by Tether at law enforcement request — approximately 20 months before the July 2026 civil complaint.","source":"Armstrong & Bradylyons","source_url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"date":"2025-10-08","event":"Federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York returns indictment against Chen Zhi, chairman of Prince Holding Group (Cambodia), charging wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for alleged operation of forced-labor pig butchering compounds.","source":"DOJ OPA","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chairman-prince-group-indicted-operating-cambodian-forced-labor-scam-compounds-engaged"},{"date":"2025-10-14","event":"DOJ files civil forfeiture complaint for approximately 127,271 Bitcoin (~$15 billion), the largest forfeiture action in DOJ history, in the Eastern District of New York (No. 1:25-cv-05745). OFAC simultaneously designates 146 individuals and entities tied to Prince Holding Group.","source":"DOJ OPA / CNBC","source_url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/14/bitcoin-doj-chen-zhi-pig-butchering-scam.html"},{"date":"2025-10-15","event":"FinCEN issues Section 311 final rule severing Cambodia's Huione Group — alleged to have laundered over $4 billion — from the U.S. financial system.","source":"Paul, Weiss","source_url":"https://www.paulweiss.com/insights/client-memos/doj-and-treasury-undertake-significant-enforcement-actions-targeting-southeast-asian-scam-networks-underscoring-cyber-enabled-fraud-as-an-enforcement-priority"},{"date":"2025-11-01","event":"U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia establishes the Scam Center Strike Force under U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.","source":"DOJ USAO-DC","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/new-scam-center-strike-force-battles-southeast-asian-crypto-investment-fraud-targeting"},{"date":"2025-11-01","event":"Shunda scam compound in Min Let Pan, Myanmar seized by the Karen National Liberation Army; defendants Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie flee but are arrested by Thai authorities in early 2026.","source":"DOJ OPA: Scam Center Strike Force","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"date":"2026-01-01","event":"Tether freezes funds associated with the $78 million BitaGold/SteemFly/Smart Labs/Bdswg.com network — the subject of the July 2026 civil complaint 26-cv-2542.","source":"Armstrong & Bradylyons","source_url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"date":"2026-01-26","event":"UK National Crime Agency refers a British victim case to U.S. authorities, leading to the July 2026 recovery-fraud civil complaint 26-cv-2541 involving impersonation of the NCA, CatLabs, and HMRC.","source":"Armstrong & Bradylyons","source_url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"date":"2026-02-25","event":"U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announces seizure of $61 million in USDT linked to pig butchering investment scams, in cooperation with Homeland Security Investigations and Tether.","source":"DOJ USAO-EDNC","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/us-attorneys-office-ednc-announces-seizure-61-million-dollars-worth-cryptocurrency"},{"date":"2026-02-26","event":"D.C. Scam Center Strike Force announces total frozen and seized cryptocurrency from Chinese transnational criminal networks has surpassed $580 million in approximately three months of operation.","source":"U.S. Secret Service","source_url":"https://www.secretservice.gov/newsroom/releases/2026/02/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-cryptocurrency-chinese-transnational"},{"date":"2026-03-01","event":"FBI Operation Level Up reaches 8,935 victim notifications; 77% of notified victims were unaware of the scam; 93 referred for suicide intervention; $562 million in losses estimated as prevented.","source":"DOJ OPA: Scam Center Strike Force","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"date":"2026-03-01","event":"Southern District of California grand jury returns indictment against Thet Min Nyi (also known as Ko Thet, Pixy), alleged manager and recruiter for Ko Thet Company pig butchering operations (26CR762-RSH).","source":"DOJ OPA","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"date":"2026-04-01","event":"Southern District of California criminal complaints charge Wiliang Awang, Andreas Chandra, Lisa Mariam, and a fugitive co-defendant with wire fraud conspiracy for Sanduo Group and Giant Company pig butchering operations (26MJ2335-AHG; 26MJ2437-AHG).","source":"DOJ OPA","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"date":"2026-05-08","event":"DOJ announces coordinated international operation: at least 276 arrests (275 by Dubai Police, 1 by Royal Thai Police), dismantlement of at least nine scam centers, $701 million in cryptocurrency restrained, and 503 .com domains seized. Named defendants Awang and Chandra among those arrested in Dubai.","source":"DOJ OPA / IRS CI","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"date":"2026-05-27","event":"Tether freezes USDT address associated with the fraudulent investment platform that is the subject of July 2026 civil complaint 26-cv-2543.","source":"Armstrong & Bradylyons","source_url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"},{"date":"2026-07-21","event":"U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia files five civil forfeiture complaints targeting over $25 million in USDT across five distinct fraud schemes (26-cv-2539 through 26-cv-2543), naming fraudulent platforms MicMarkets, Zoomex spoof domains, BitaGold, SteemFly, Smart Labs, Bdswg.com, and CatLabs (recovery fraud).","source":"Armstrong & Bradylyons / DOJ USAO-DC","source_url":"https://www.armstrongbradylyons.com/library/doj-crypto-forfeiture-25-million"}]},"v":1}