29-7-2025 – Federal prosecutors in Texas have filed a civil forfeiture case targeting $2.4 million worth of Bitcoin seized from alleged cybercriminals, marking an early step toward building America’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve through confiscated digital assets.

The Department of Justice submitted the filing Thursday in the Northern District of Texas, seeking permanent forfeiture of 20.2 BTC that FBI agents seized on April 15. The cryptocurrency allegedly belongs to an individual connected to the Chaos hacking group, a cybercrime organization known for ransomware operations targeting businesses and infrastructure.

The forfeiture action directly supports President Trump’s March executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve using assets recovered through criminal investigations. Rather than auctioning seized cryptocurrency as previously practiced, the government now plans to retain confiscated Bitcoin for the national reserve program.

This case represents one of the first concrete implementations of the new policy, which aims to transform routine law enforcement seizures into strategic national assets. The Chaos group has been linked to numerous high-profile cyberattacks, making any recovered funds particularly significant for both criminal justice and national security purposes.

The government’s approach marks a fundamental shift in how authorities handle seized cryptocurrency, moving from disposal through public auctions to long-term strategic retention. Previous Bitcoin seizures have generated hundreds of millions in government revenue through sales.