US prosecutors seize $25 million in crypto tied to fraud

Federal prosecutors in Washington have moved to seize more than $25 million in cryptocurrency linked to international fraud networks that targeted thousands of victims across the United States and Canada. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Secret Service filed five civil forfeiture complaints on July 21, 2026, as part of a broader enforcement initiative that has now recovered over $800 million in illicit digital assets.

The complaints stem from five separate investigations conducted by the Secret Service’s Cyber Fraud Task Force. Authorities stated the schemes involved fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms and online romance scams, where victims were persuaded to send funds to what they believed were legitimate investments. The laundering operations behind the frauds were largely based in Southeast Asia, with IP addresses linked to China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

Two cases account for the majority of the funds targeted for forfeiture. The largest complaint seeks approximately $12.1 million tied to an online romance scam that affected more than 200 victims. A second major investigation, initiated after a tip from Canadian authorities in...