The U.S. government has initiated a civil forfeiture action against cryptocurrency holdings seized from a Binance account, alleging their involvement in wire fraud and money laundering. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Feb. 19, involves digital assets that were confiscated in October last year. The complaint lists several cryptocurrencies, collectively referred to as the Defendant Property:

7.23918814 BTC, 105.75351403 ETH, 636.11899592 AVAX, 14120.995091 USDT, 2,380,467,906.17 SHIB, and 319008151.01 PEPE seized from a Binance account associated with User ID XXXXX3280, on or about October 25, 2024.

According to an affidavit by Special Agent Katrina P. Caulfield of the U.S. Secret Service, the cryptocurrency funds were traced back to fraudulent activities involving a scam disguised as an investment platform named Trade Propel.

The complaint details how victims were lured through a Facebook group called “Financial Independence Forum,” where they were convinced to invest in what appeared to be a lucrative cryptocurrency trading opportunity. One of the victims, identified as Victim-1, transferred 1.33 BTC under the guidance of an individual using the name “Tom Sheldon Haley.” Further investigation revealed that the Trade Propel website was fraudulent, falsely associating itself with legitimate financial institutions, and was flagged in multiple fraud reports.

The government asserts that the seized assets are proceeds of wire fraud and were involved in money laundering schemes. The funds were moved through various intermediary wallets before being deposited into the Binance account registered to Avwerosuo Omokri, linked to a Nigerian passport.

The forfeiture filing seeks a court order to officially seize the assets and distribute them according to federal law, citing the need to dismantle fraudulent schemes exploiting cryptocurrency platforms. The court document states:

This court has found probable cause for forfeiture of the Defendant Property.

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