DOJ seeks $61M in Iranian crypto

• US prosecutors have filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking $61 million in USDT linked to Iranian oil sales.
• The DOJ alleges a crypto network moved more than $1.5 billion in illicit oil proceeds.
• Tether has frozen about 61.2 million USDT while the FBI prepares to seize the funds.

The US Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking about $61 million in Tether (CRYPTO:USDT) allegedly linked to Iranian oil sales.

Prosecutors allege the funds formed part of a network that moved more than $1.5 billion from black-market Iranian oil sales.

“Today’s action demonstrates our determination to deprive the Government of Iran and its terrorist proxies of the illegal money they rely on to threaten the lives and safety of the citizens of the United States and elsewhere,” said Deputy US Attorney Sean S. Buckley.

The complaint alleges two Chinese companies, Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale, used Binance accounts to facilitate transfers linked to the network.

The DOJ says the network moved funds through unhosted wallets, an Iranian crypto exchange and businesses allegedly linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Tether has frozen 61.19 million USDT across 10 addresses, while a September 14 seizure warrant authorises the FBI to transfer the funds to a government-controlled wallet.

The complaint remains an allegation, with the DOJ stating that the claims will not be proven until a court awards a judgment for the United States.