U.S. seeks forfeiture of $25 million in crypto tied to romance and investment scams

The cases add to more than $800 million that authorities say a dedicated federal scam task force has recovered.

By Francisco Rodrigues, AI Boost Jul 22, 2026, 1:45 p.m. 1 min readMake preferred on Share this articleMake preferred on

Summary

• Federal prosecutors are seeking more than $25 million in cryptocurrency across five civil forfeiture cases.
• Investigators linked the funds to fake investments, romance scams and a scheme that targeted a prior fraud victim.
• The cases add to more than $800 million that authorities say a dedicated federal scam task force has recovered.

Federal prosecutors filed five civil forfeiture complaints seeking more than $25 million in cryptocurrency that investigators say came from international romance and investment scams targeting people in the U.S. and Canada.

The complaints, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, stem from separate Secret Service investigations.

Agents traced funds through hundreds of wallet addresses and frozen crypto linked to more than 270 suspected investment scam transactions, more than 200 romance scam victims and several victims in the Washington area, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The two largest cases seek about $12.1 million tied to online romance schemes and $10.4 million linked to fraudulent investment platforms. Another three complaints seek roughly $1.23 million, $2.39 million and $285,000.

In one case, scammers cut off contact after a victim tried to withdraw money from what appeared to be a crypto investment account. In another, fraudsters contacted someone who had already lost money and claimed they could recover it for a fee in what’s known as a recovery scam.

The cases are part of the Scam Center Strike Force, which launched in November 2025. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the task force has recovered more than $800 million.

CrimeAI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.Latest Crypto News Latest Research

TRON Network - Q2 2026

TRON Network - Q2 2026

In Q2; TRON's stablecoin dominance rose to 28.7%, USDT supply on TRON hit $89B ATH, $89M in protocol fees (2nd to Hyperliquid), TRX +3%, and deepening institutional & agentic reach.

By CoinDesk ResearchJul 21, 2026Commissioned byTron

In Q2; TRON's stablecoin dominance rose to 28.7%, USDT supply on TRON hit $89B ATH, $89M in protocol fees (2nd to Hyperliquid), TRX +3%, and deepening institutional & agentic reach.

Why it matters:

In Q2; TRON's stablecoin dominance rose to 28.7%, USDT supply on TRON hit $89B ATH, $89M in protocol fees (2nd to Hyperliquid), TRX +3%, and deepening institutional & agentic reach.

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