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US justice department seizes $3 billion in stolen bitcoins

23 sep, 2022

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan stated Monday that the US wants to seize $1bn in bitcoin stolen from Silk Road.

IRS investigators seized 50,000 bitcoins during a November 2021 search of James Zhong's house in Gainesville, Georgia.

 It was the second-largest seizure in US Department of Justice history.

Zhong, 32, pled guilty to wire fraud for deceiving Silk Road's processing system in 2012.

Bitcoin was worth $3bn when confiscated. Its value has dropped by two-thirds.

IRS special agent Trevor McAleenan said some stolen bitcoin was recovered on a PC in a popcorn tin in a bathroom closet.

US attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan claimed the lost bitcoin amounted to $3.3 billion. "We'll follow the money..." even a popcorn tin's electrical board."

In 2013, the US authorities seized Silk Road, calling it a drug and money-laundering bazaar.

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