{"id":52925,"date":"2025-10-15T08:31:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T08:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=52925"},"modified":"2025-10-15T08:31:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T08:31:50","slug":"trump-team-seizes-15b-in-bitcoin-from-cambodian-cyber-gang-will-it-go-to-us-bitcoin-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=52925","title":{"rendered":"Trump Team Seizes $15B in Bitcoin from Cambodian Cyber Gang, Will it Go to US Bitcoin Reserve?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The United States has exposed a massive forced-labor and cyber-fraud network operating out of Cambodia, seizing nearly $15Bn in Bitcoin now held in federal custody.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The unprecedented case raises a new question: could these funds eventually become part of Washington\u2019s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST IN: <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/72x72\/1f1fa-1f1f8.png\" alt=\"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\"> US Government seizes $15 billion worth of Bitcoin from &#8216;pig butchering&#8217; scam based in Cambodia.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WatcherGuru\/status\/1978116173871931868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">October 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prosecutors on Tuesday unsealed charges against Chen Zhi, chairman of Cambodia\u2019s Prince Group, accusing him of running large-scale \u201cpig-butchering\u201d scam compounds that trafficked workers and defrauded victims around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the same time, the Justice Department <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/chairman-prince-group-indicted-operating-cambodian-forced-labor-scam-compounds-engaged\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">launched<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the biggest forfeiture action in US history, targeting roughly 127,271 BTC tied to the network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The operation was coordinated with authorities in the United Kingdom, and both countries announced parallel sanctions against the Prince Group and its affiliates. The announcements came on October 14 in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>DISCOVER: <a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/high-risk-high-reward-crypto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">9+ Best High-Risk, High-Reward Crypto to Buy in October2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Did the Prince Group Become the Center of a $15Bn Bitcoin Seizure?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the case \u201cone of the most significant strikes\u201d against human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud. The FBI described the takedown as \u201cone of the largest financial fraud operations ever dismantled.\u201d Chen Zhi remains at large.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The size of the seizure has sparked discussion about what the US might do with such a massive Bitcoin stockpile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While the government has previously auctioned smaller crypto holdings seized from criminal cases, this amount is historically large. Some observers believe it could test the framework for a future national Bitcoin reserve, an idea gaining quiet traction in Washington.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prosecutors say the Prince Group held trafficked workers in prison-like compounds and forced them to run large-scale romance and investment scams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Justice Department reports that the defendant stored approximately 127,271 BTC in unhosted wallets controlled through private keys held by the defendant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Officials called it the largest forfeiture complaint in the department\u2019s history. The government is holding the seized funds until the case is resolved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a related move, the US Treasury designated the \u201cPrince Group Transnational Criminal Organization\u201d and sanctioned 146 associated individuals and entities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It also used a USA PATRIOT Act \u00a7311 order. This blocked the Cambodia-based Huione Group from accessing the US financial system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The UK <\/span><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/sb0278\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">followed with its own actions,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> freezing London properties tied to the network, including a \u00a312M mansion, and sanctioning Chen along with several affiliated companies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>DISCOVER: <a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/next-1000x-crypto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">Next 1000X Crypto: 10+ Crypto Tokens That Can Hit 1000x in 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><b>Will the $15B in BTC go into the US Bitcoin Reserve?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">President Trump\u2019s March 2025 executive order created the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR). It directs that the US government\u2019s Bitcoin holdings come from forfeited criminal assets, not taxpayer money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed that stance, saying the department isn\u2019t purchasing Bitcoin and will rely solely on lawful seizures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before the latest action, federal agencies were <\/span><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/03\/06\/trump-executive-order-create-strategic-reserve-crypto-00217147\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">estimated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to already hold between $15Bn and $20Bn worth of Bitcoin from past cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If courts approve today\u2019s forfeiture and finalize victim restitution, authorities could add the seized funds to the SBR. This would follow existing rules.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Senator Cynthia Lummis is a key supporter of formalizing the reserve through legislation. She <\/span><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lummis.senate.gov\/press-releases\/lummis-praises-trump-administration-for-indictment-dismantling-of-cambodian-forced-labor-and-cyber-fraud-network\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">praised<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the Justice Department\u2019s work and urged Congress to set clearer rules for handling digital assets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Senator Lummis urged officials to safeguard seized Bitcoin and compensate victims. She also called for preserving remaining funds as part of the nation\u2019s long-term digital reserve strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bitcoin prices <\/span><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coingecko.com\/en\/coins\/bitcoin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">showed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> little immediate reaction, hovering around $112,521. The broader crypto market remained subdued amid ongoing global economic pressures this week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-295992 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-1-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1252\" height=\"910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-1-2.png 1252w, https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-1-2-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-1-2-1024x744.png 1024w, https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-1-2-768x558.png 768w, https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-1-2-50x36.png 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1252px) 100vw, 1252px\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(<\/span><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lummis.senate.gov\/press-releases\/lummis-praises-trump-administration-for-indictment-dismantling-of-cambodian-forced-labor-and-cyber-fraud-network\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Source: Coingecko<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">DISCOVER:\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/cryptocurrency\/next-crypto-to-explode\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">20+ Next Crypto to Explode in 2025\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"general-link\" href=\"https:\/\/discord.gg\/B7Uk6agkqj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Join The 99Bitcoins News Discord Here For The Latest Market Updates<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/news\/bitcoin-btc\/trump-team-seizes-15b-in-bitcoin-from-cambodian-cyber-gang-will-it-go-to-us-bitcoin-reserve\/\">Trump Team Seizes $15B in Bitcoin from Cambodian Cyber Gang, Will it Go to US Bitcoin Reserve?<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/99bitcoins.com\/\">99Bitcoins<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States has exposed a massive forced-labor and cyber-fraud network operating out of Cambodia, seizing nearly $15Bn in Bitcoin now held in federal custody.\u00a0 The unprecedented case raises a new question: could these funds eventually become part of Washington\u2019s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve? JUST IN: US Government seizes $15 billion worth of Bitcoin from &#8216;pig [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,4,5],"class_list":["post-52925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crypto","tag-doge","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}