The digital realm has once again served as a battleground for law enforcement and cybercriminals, with the Dallas FBI seizing a hefty sum of $1.7 million in cryptocurrency. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced last Thursday that the government has filed a civil complaint to gain forfeiture of the assets. Reportedly, these funds are tied to illegal activities, specifically money laundering and a ransomware attack.
According to the civil complaint, on April 15 of this year, agents seized 20.2891382 Bitcoin from the wallet address bc1q5d8af0crjhlnepjq08muhh55899rf2ktye3sxd. This cryptocurrency is said to be connected to the Chaos ransomware group’s participant “Hors.” Carried out successfully, the forfeiture has now netted an asset estimated at over $2.4 million, inflating from its initial worth due to the volatile values that govern this digital currency space.
These ransomware attacks have left numerous victims in their wake, both within the confines of the Northern District of Texas and beyond. The Chaos group, identifiable through their digital fingerprints, has been a particular nuisance, as the FBI continues to clamp down on such nefarious actors.
Marked under Case No. 3:25-CV-01920-K, the filing indicates the governmental ambitions to keep these funds out of criminal circuits. “The seized cryptocurrency, now valued at over $2.4 million, allegedly constitutes property involved in unlawful activity, or proceeds of or property derived from unlawful activity, including money laundering and extortion related to damage to a protected computer, commonly referred to as a ransomware attack,” claimed the United States Attorney’s Office. The ripple effect of such seizures is a clear signal to cybercriminals that the digital trace they leave is not as shrouded in anonymity as they may believe.
