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The US Department of Justice has completed the seizure of more than $400 million in assets linked to Helix, a dark web aggregator platform, which authorities say was widely used to launder money from illegal online markets.
Key points:
- US authorities have seized assets worth more than $400 million linked to cryptocurrency exchange platform Helix
- Prosecutors say Helix stole nearly $300 million in bitcoin on dark markets.
- The case underscores the legal pressure on cryptocurrency privacy.
in The statement was issued on Thursday The United States Department of Justice said that the final order issued last week gave the government legal ownership of seized assets, including cryptocurrencies, real estate and financial accounts related to Helix operations.
This takeover represents one of the biggest deals in the cryptocurrency industry to date.
Prosecutors say Helix stole $300 million in bitcoin from dark web users
According to prosecutors, Helix processed at least 354,468 bitcoins between 2014 and 2017, which were worth about $300 million at the time.
The service was designed to hide the source of funds and was sold to users who wanted to remain anonymous, including sellers and customers on illegal dark markets.
Helix was run by Larry Dean Harmon, who pleaded guilty in August 2021 to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Harmon was sentenced in November 2024 to three years in prison, followed by a period of parole.
Officials said the seized items were directly linked to a money laundering operation that takes place through intermediaries.
The case comes as the cryptocurrency industry is under increased scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators, and debate is growing over how much privacy-monitoring tools should comply with existing laws.
In December, President Donald Lipenga said he was reviewing the possibility of pardoning Keion Rodriguez, one of the founders of the money laundering project Samourai Wallet, who was convicted of embezzlement and illegal money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison.
Attention has also focused on the case of Roman Storm, a software developer linked to the Tornado Cash Protocol, who was convicted last year of money laundering and racketeering charges and is awaiting sentencing.
The case has drawn criticism from some in the cryptocurrency community, including Vitalik Buterin, who has argued that crypto-assets should not be treated as criminals because they can be abused.
Chainalysis predicts that cryptocurrency crime will reach $154 billion in 2025
This comes in the wake of growing concerns about cryptocurrencies. According to Chainalysis, banned cryptocurrency addresses will receive a record $154 billion in 2025, a significant increase compared to the previous year.
In another case, US prosecutors accused Ronald Spector, a 23-year-old Brooklyn resident, of stealing about $16 million in cryptocurrencies from about 100 Coinbase users through a phishing and social engineering scheme.
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Spector posed as an employee of Coinbase and contacted the victims saying their money was at risk, and forced them to transfer cryptocurrencies to wallets he controlled.
Officials said the plan relied on fear tactics rather than technical skills. Spector, who works online as “lolimfeelingevil,” says he warned would-be thieves to ignore hesitation and make quick decisions.
A note The US Department of Justice has seized more than $400 million linked to the Helix cryptocurrency mixer appeared for the first time Cryptonews Arabic.
