- Jul 27, 2015
- 5,457
- Content source
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60310783
Stolen Bitcoin worth more than $4bn (£2.9bn) has been seized by the US Department of Justice - the largest ever confiscation of its kind.
Officials also charged two people on Tuesday with attempting to launder the money, stolen by a hacker who breached a cryptocurrency platform in 2016. The hacker allegedly made off with nearly 120,000 Bitcoin. Then valued at about $71m, its value now exceeds $5bn. About 94,000 Bitcoin have been recovered. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr said the seizure was proof the government "will not allow cryptocurrency to be a safe haven for money laundering or a zone of lawlessness within our financial system". The money originates from the 2016 hack of a crypto exchange known as Bitfinex.
Record-high seizure of $4bn in stolen Bitcoin
Two suspects allegedly conspired to launder the money after it was stolen by a hacker in 2016.
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