US seizes record $225 million from crypto investment scammers [View all]
Source: CNN Politics
Updated 4:08 PM EDT, Wed June 18, 2025
CNN US law enforcement has seized over $225 million in cryptocurrency allegedly stolen from dozens of American victims as part of a sophisticated investment scam, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Its the largest-ever seizure of funds stolen in so-called crypto confidence scams, which dupe people into investing in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes, the department said.
The scam affected more than 400 people worldwide, including dozens of Americans, and caused millions of dollars in losses, according to a complaint unsealed Wednesday. The scammers conducted hundreds of thousands of transactions in an effort to launder the stolen cryptocurrency, according to the Justice Department.
The US government now has possession of the stolen crypto and will be working to return as much of it as possible to victims, Shawn Bradstreet, a special agent in charge at the Secret Service, said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/18/politics/us-seizes-record-225-million-from-crypto-investment-scammers