DOJ Seizes $2.8M in Crypto From Alleged Ransomware Operator
- Keyword Financial
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
Introduction
U.S. authorities have moved to seize more than $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, along with $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle, from a wallet controlled by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, who is charged with conspiring to commit computer fraud and money laundering. Unsealed warrants allege the assets are proceeds of ransomware activity or were used to launder such proceeds. The Justice Department says Antropenko used various methods to obfuscate funds, including the ChipMixer service, which was dismantled in a coordinated international operation in 2023.
The action is part of a broader U.S. crackdown on ransomware-linked crypto flows. Earlier this week, the DOJ said it seized about $1 million in crypto from the BlackSuit ransomware group, and federal officials are also moving to claim $2.4 million in Bitcoin previously seized by the Dallas FBI. These seizures contribute to a growing federal crypto stockpile established by a March executive order, with assets typically added after victim compensation.
Amid these moves, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clarified that while the government is “not going to be buying” Bitcoin outright for reserves, it will explore “budget-neutral pathways” to acquire BTC. As of Thursday, he estimated the U.S. government’s Bitcoin holdings—primarily assets seized in criminal cases after restitution—at roughly $20 billion; at current prices, that equates to an estimated 198,012 BTC worth more than $23 billion.
