The DOJ and Secret Service seized $25 million in crypto tied to romance and investment scams. The Strike Force recovered $800 million since November 2025. Bitcoin and Ethereum face tighter compliance.
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US federal authorities seized more than $25 million in cryptocurrency tied to romance and investment fraud rings, the Department of Justice said July 21. The five civil forfeiture complaints target the assets without requiring criminal convictions. The network behind the scams, the complaints said, relied on forced labor and complex laundering methods based in Southeast Asia.
Roughly $12 million came from a romance scam with over 200 victims, the complaints said. An investment fraud scheme accounted for $10.4 million and more than 270 victims. A smaller recovery scam sought $285,000 from prior targets.
The Strike Force, formally the Scam Center Strike Force, has recovered $800 million in illicit crypto assets since it launched in November 2025, the DOJ said. A separate 2026 initiative brought in over $8 billion in Bitcoin linked to fraud. The unit focuses on dismantling entire crime syndicates rather than small-time operators, the DOJ said.
The US Attorney's office in Washington, led by Jeanine Ferris Pirro, handled the case. The Secret Service's Washington Field Office worked the investigation.
The filing covers Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as stablecoins used in the schemes. The DOJ did not name the exchanges where the assets were held but said law enforcement cooperation with platforms was central to the recovery.
The 200-plus romance scam victims lost an average of $60,000 each, the DOJ said. The 270 investment fraud victims lost roughly $38,500 each. The filing did not detail a timeline for restitution.
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