DOJ Pig Butchering Civil Forfeiture — DC District July 2026
Summary
On July 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office filed five civil forfeiture complaints in federal court seeking to recover more than $25 million in USDT traced to pig butchering fraud schemes operated from Southeast Asia. The filings, which proceed against the cryptocurrency assets themselves and name no individual defendants, targeted funds linked to romance scams, approval phishing, and fake investment platforms that defrauded more than 470 identified victims across the United States and Canada. The action is part of the broader DC Scam Center Strike Force, launched in November 2025, which had restrained or seized more than $832 million in cryptocurrency from Chinese transnational criminal organizations by June 2026.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigationsTimeline(9 events)
2025-06-18
USAO-DC files civil forfeiture complaint targeting more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency linked to pig butchering — the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history at that time. At least 400 suspected victims worldwide. FBI, Secret Service, and Tether cooperated. (Separate from the July 2026 action.)
NBC News / DOJ USAO-DC press release2025-11-01
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launches the DC Scam Center Strike Force to target cryptocurrency investment fraud linked to Chinese transnational criminal organizations operating in Southeast Asia.
DOJ USAO-DC / Cryptopolitan2026-01-01
DC Scam Center Strike Force reports approximately $402 million in digital assets recovered from pig butchering networks since launch.
DOJ / Secret Service2026-02-25
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announces the seizure of $61 million in USDT linked to pig butchering fraud, supported by HSI Raleigh and TRM Labs blockchain tracing. Separate from the DC District action.
DOJ USAO-EDNC / TRM Labs2026-02-26
DOJ and the Secret Service announce that the DC Scam Center Strike Force has frozen and seized more than $580 million in cryptocurrency from Chinese transnational criminal organizations in its first three months of operation.
U.S. Secret Service / IRS Criminal Investigation / DOJ USAO-DC2026-03-16
Operation Atlantic: Secret Service, UK National Crime Agency, Ontario Provincial Police, and Ontario Securities Commission identify 20,000+ cryptocurrency wallet addresses across 30 countries, freeze $12 million, and identify $33 million linked to approval phishing investment fraud.
The 2026 Pig Butchering Reckoning — CryptoTimes2026-04-23
Scam Center Strike Force targets Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie (Shunda compound, Burma); 503 fake investment websites seized; $701.96 million in cryptocurrency restrained; Telegram recruitment channel with 6,000+ followers seized.
The 2026 Pig Butchering Reckoning — CryptoTimes2026-04-29
International operation announced: FBI, Dubai Police, Chinese Ministry of Public Security, and Thai authorities arrest 276 suspects (275 in Dubai, 1 in Thailand). Six defendants charged in Southern District of California. Nine scam centers shut down. $701 million in cryptocurrency restrained globally.
The Hacker News / FBI / DOJ2026-07-21
USAO-DC and U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office file five civil forfeiture complaints in U.S. District Court for DC targeting more than $25 million in USDT linked to pig butchering schemes. More than 470 identified victims across the U.S. and Canada. No individual defendants named. Funds traced to laundering networks in Southeast Asia with IP addresses in China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
DOJ USAO-DC / BigGo Finance / ScamWatchHQ / Armstrong & BradylyonsDecision Log
- #1publish⛓ pending8/17/2026, 11:54:08 PMhash: DiV8zu68z3GPNzqPodHiBRi5p3zYwBkzCwC7DYk3kV33
17 of 17 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 8/17/2026, 11:53:58 PM
last updated: 8/18/2026, 5:43:47 AM
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