The U.S. government transferred 12,267 BTC, valued at approximately $1.01 billion, from a wallet associated with the 2016 Bitfinex hack. The transaction occurred on Thursday at 9:33 a.m. ET, with the funds sent to a new, unlabeled address. According to Arkham, the assets were subsequently moved again.
These funds are part of the 94,000 BTC seized in 2022 from Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan. This move follows other recent government activity, including the transfer of $119 million in USDT and $215 million in BTC to Coinbase Prime on Wednesday, as well as a $288 million transfer in July.
Current government holdings include approximately 306,795 BTC, with a total estimated value of $24.85 billion. These actions follow a March 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump, which mandated that forfeited Bitcoin be directed into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve intended to be held rather than sold.
Despite the directive to maintain the reserve, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted in August that the administration would explore budget-neutral methods to increase holdings. Additionally, a federal court authorized the sale of $6.5 billion in Bitcoin seized from Silk Road in January 2025.
