TLDR:
- The Division of Justice allegedly bought $6.3 million in BTC seized from Samourai Pockets, reportedly ignoring a presidential mandate.
- A direct switch to Coinbase Prime suggests a discretionary liquidation that bypassed normal USMS custody protocols.
- Authorized specialists level out that this motion contradicts the present administration’s coverage of not promoting seized digital belongings.
This Monday, a brand new scandal is shaking the foundations of Washington’s monetary establishments. Based on lately obtained paperwork, the Division of Justice (DOJ) could have breached the mandate for a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve by liquidating roughly $6.3 million in BTC.
These belongings have been confiscated from the builders of Samourai Pockets—a privacy-focused software—however their sale has sparked a political storm for allegedly violating Government Order 14233.
Regulatory Conflicts and Government Order 14233
Particularly, this order explicitly prohibits the sale of confiscated Bitcoin, besides beneath very particular circumstances that authorized analysts declare weren’t met on this case.
On-chain knowledge reveals that the funds have been despatched on to a Coinbase Prime tackle on November 3, 2025, bypassing the standard custody of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). As of right this moment, that tackle reveals a zero stability, confirming the execution of the sale.
This transfer is considered by many as an act of defiance by the Southern District of New York (SDNY), which continues to prosecute non-custodial software program builders regardless of 2025 DOJ memos urging in any other case.
Whereas the crypto sector requires compliance with the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, President Donald Trump has proven assist for the affected builders and is reportedly contemplating presidential pardons.
The liquidation of these belongings not solely calls into query the interior cohesion of the Division of Justice but additionally exams the administration’s dedication to ending the “conflict on cryptocurrencies.” For advocates of digital sovereignty, halting these discretionary gross sales is step one towards consolidating belief within the nation’s new monetary framework.
