The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture complaint targeting 20.29 Bitcoin (worth approximately $2.4 million) seized from the Chaos ransomware group on April 15, 2025. The cryptocurrency was traced through blockchain analysis to ransomware attacks against victims in Texas and other locations, originating from an address linked to group member "Hors." FBI Dallas publicly announced the seizure as part of ongoing efforts to combat ransomware operations exploiting cryptocurrency for payments.
This action aligns with a broader enforcement surge where U.S. agencies have recovered billions in digital assets from cybercriminals. Recent seizures include $225.3 million in USDT from pig butchering scams, $31 million from the 2021 Uranium Finance hack, and $24 million from Qakbot malware developer Rustam Gallyamov. International operations like SpecTor have further netted $200 million across nine countries.
Significantly, the DOJ indicated seized assets may contribute to President Trump's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve rather than being auctioned. The reserve will utilize approximately 200,000 Bitcoin from prior seizures, eliminating fears of government prohibition according to Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan. This policy shift redirects assets like the 94,636 Bitcoin from Bitfinex hack recoveries and contrasts with previous approaches where 69,370 Silk Road Bitcoins were sold.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are developing budget-neutral acquisition strategies for the reserve, while law enforcement continues refining blockchain tracing capabilities to overcome mixing services and jurisdictional challenges in ransomware cases.