{"id":434066,"date":"2026-07-14T17:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/us-government-moves-288m-in-seized-crypto-to-coinbase-prime-crypto-news\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T17:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:18:14","slug":"us-government-moves-288m-in-seized-crypto-to-coinbase-prime-crypto-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/us-government-moves-288m-in-seized-crypto-to-coinbase-prime-crypto-news\/","title":{"rendered":"US Government Moves $288M in Seized Crypto to Coinbase Prime &#8211; Crypto News"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"position:relative;overflow:visible;font-size:1.2em;line-height:1.58\">\n<div class=\"pt-8 pb-10 border-t border-b border-decryptGridline \">\n<h4 class=\"sc-b2a202e4-4 bNRGqr gg-dark:text-white\" color=\"#333\">In brief<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"font-meta-serif-pro font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">The U.S. government moved $288 million in seized Bitcoin and Ethereum to Coinbase Prime on Monday, according to on-chain tracker Arkham.<\/li>\n<li class=\"font-meta-serif-pro font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">The transfers revived speculation about a possible sale, though Coinbase Prime is the government&#8217;s custodian and a deposit there does not confirm one.<\/li>\n<li class=\"font-meta-serif-pro font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">A 2025 executive order bars selling Bitcoin held in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, but that rule covers finally forfeited coins, and these appear to come from still-active criminal cases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"font-meta-serif-pro scene:font-noto-sans scene:text-base scene:md:text-lg font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">The U.S. government shifted $288 million in seized <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/?post_type=post&#038;p=5736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\"><span class=\"sc-5475d909-4 fBeAzA\">Bitcoin<\/span><\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/?post_type=post&#038;p=5726\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\"><span class=\"sc-5475d909-4 fBeAzA\">Ethereum<\/span><\/a> onto Coinbase Prime on Monday, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/arkham\/status\/2076769927428550876\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">on-chain tracker Arkham<\/a> showed, reviving speculation that Washington could be preparing to sell crypto it has pledged to hold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-meta-serif-pro scene:font-noto-sans scene:text-base scene:md:text-lg font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arkm.com\/explorer\/entity\/usg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">transfers<\/a>, spread over about half a day, included around 3,800 BTC worth $235 million and about 30,000 ETH worth $53 million, drawn from several criminal cases. The Bitcoin came from funds seized from Ryan Farace, a dark-web dealer known as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/78585\/dark-web-drug-dealer-indicted-for-laundering-137-million-in-bitcoin-from-prison\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">&#8220;Xanaxman&#8221;<\/a>, and the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/305592\/russian-bitcoin-exchange-founder-released-us-prisoner-swap\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">defunct exchange BTC-e<\/a>, and was routed through intermediary <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/?post_type=post&#038;p=5702\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\"><span class=\"sc-5475d909-4 fBeAzA\">wallets<\/span><\/a>\u00a0before reaching Coinbase Prime. The Ethereum, tied to a $54 million money-laundering case involving <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/thomasbrewster\/2023\/11\/07\/oracle-staffer-helped-cocaine-dealers-hide-54-million-in-cryptocurrency-doj-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">Oracle employee Brian Krewson<\/a>, went straight to a deposit address.<\/p>\n<div class=\"relative w-full\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet mx-auto\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">THE US GOVERNMENT JUST DEPOSITED $280M OF CRYPTO TO COINBASE PRIME<\/p>\n<p>The US Government just deposited a total of $288.33M of BTC and ETH to Coinbase Prime. This includes confiscations from Brian Krewson, BTC-e, and Ryan Farace.<\/p>\n<p>Will they be selling it all? <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/M5srRI3KJU\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">pic.twitter.com\/M5srRI3KJU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Arkham (@arkham) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/arkham\/status\/2076769927428550876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener\">July 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-b2a202e4-2 bmropA gg-dark:text-white scene:font-itc-avant-garde-gothic-pro scene:font-light\" style=\"margin-top:2em;text-align:left;padding-bottom:16px;margin-bottom:16px;border-bottom:1px solid #dfe2e4\" color=\"#333\">Custody or cashing out?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"font-meta-serif-pro scene:font-noto-sans scene:text-base scene:md:text-lg font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">Large holders typically keep coins in <span class=\"sc-5475d909-4 fBeAzA\">cold storage<\/span>, so moving them draws scrutiny, and the government has offered no public explanation for the transfers\u2014leading some sections of the market to view them as \u201ca signal for a potential sell-off,\u201d Tim Sun, Senior Researcher at crypto exchange HashKey, told <i>Decrypt<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-meta-serif-pro scene:font-noto-sans scene:text-base scene:md:text-lg font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">The U.S. Marshals Service <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/237907\/doj-us-marshals-service-chooses-coinbase-custody-crypto?_gl=1*hwgh5v*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTgyNTEyMjQ4Ni4xNzg0MDIyNTM4*_ga_S6XJW9326S*czE3ODQwMjI1MzckbzEkZzEkdDE3ODQwMjI1MzckajYwJGwwJGgw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">selected Coinbase Prime<\/a> in 2024 to custody and trade forfeited digital assets, and it also handles financing and staging\u2014so the transfers could simply indicate that the government is moving assets into managed custody. Thus, Sun explained, it\u2019s not yet clear whether the inflows are &#8220;in preparation for a sale or simply for the consolidation and custody of seized assets.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border:0\" src=\"https:\/\/myriad.markets\/embed\/market\/eth-above-4k-when-bitcoin-goes-above-100k\" width=\"100%\" height=\"415px\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:0px;overflow:hidden;line-height:0\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"sc-b2a202e4-2 bmropA gg-dark:text-white scene:font-itc-avant-garde-gothic-pro scene:font-light\" style=\"margin-top:2em;text-align:left;padding-bottom:16px;margin-bottom:16px;border-bottom:1px solid #dfe2e4\" color=\"#333\">The never-sell rule<\/h2>\n<p class=\"font-meta-serif-pro scene:font-noto-sans scene:text-base scene:md:text-lg font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">The transfers come in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/309032\/president-trump-signs-executive-order-to-establish-bitcoin-reserve-crypto-stockpile\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">March 2025 executive order<\/a>, which created a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/executive-order-14233-establishment-the-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-and-united-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">declared<\/a> that government Bitcoin deposited into it &#8220;shall not be sold.&#8221; Only Bitcoin that has &#8220;completed the final forfeiture process&#8221; can be moved into the reserve and shielded from sale, Sun said, and even then the order <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2025\/03\/11\/2025-03992\/establishment-of-the-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-and-united-states-digital-asset-stockpile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">allows exceptions<\/a> for coins a court directs toward law enforcement or victim restitution. The coins moved on Monday came from active criminal cases and are handled apart from the reserve. &#8220;The market needs to distinguish between Bitcoin held in the reserve and the U.S. government&#8217;s broader balance-sheet holdings,&#8221; Sun said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-meta-serif-pro scene:font-noto-sans scene:text-base scene:md:text-lg font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">Ethereum sits outside the rule entirely. It falls under a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/309138\/bitcoin-reserve-digital-asset-stockpile\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">separate Digital Asset Stockpile<\/a> that the Treasury can manage within its legal authority, giving the government what Sun called &#8220;greater freedom of disposal.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-meta-serif-pro scene:font-noto-sans scene:text-base scene:md:text-lg font-normal text-lg md:text-xl md:leading-9 tracking-px text-body gg-dark:text-neutral-100\">The scrutiny is sharpened by how unsettled the reserve, which exists only by executive order, remains. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/368662\/proposed-arma-bill-aims-enshrine-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-law\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">Bills to codify it<\/a> with a 20-year holding rule have stalled in Congress, and the Treasury and Commerce departments are still <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-07-06\/trump-bitcoin-reserve-faces-hurdles-as-departments-seek-control\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sc-adb616fe-0 bJsyml\">contesting<\/a> who controls the assets. Arkham still tracks U.S. government wallets holding $20.6 billion in crypto, including 324,552 BTC\u2014among the largest state crypto holdings anywhere, against which the $288 million is little more than a rounding error.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-4 border-b border-decryptGridline\">\n<div class=\"text-start p-8 md:py-12 md:px-12 max-w-prose relative\"><span class=\"border-t-4 border-l-4 w-4 h-4 md:border-t-[6px] md:border-l-[6px] md:w-6 md:h-6 border-decryptPurple dark:border-decryptNeon gg-dark:border-cc-pink-2 absolute top-4 left-4 md:top-6 md:left-6\"\/><span class=\"border-t-4 border-l-4 w-4 h-4 md:border-t-[6px] md:border-l-[6px] md:w-6 md:h-6 border-decryptPurple dark:border-decryptNeon gg-dark:border-cc-pink-2 absolute rotate-180 bottom-4 right-4 md:bottom-6 md:right-6\"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"font-akzidenz-grotesk font-bold text-xl md:text-3xl md:text-center gg-dark:text-white\">Daily Debrief<!-- --> Newsletter<\/h3>\n<p>Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In brief The U.S. government moved $288 million in seized Bitcoin and Ethereum to Coinbase Prime on Monday, according to on-chain tracker Arkham. The transfers revived speculation about a possible sale, though Coinbase Prime is the government&#8217;s custodian and a deposit there does not confirm one. A 2025 executive order bars selling Bitcoin held in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[230,225,221,227,226,228,229,60,223,224,222],"class_list":["post-434066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency","tag-brave","tag-coinbase","tag-crypto","tag-decentralised","tag-decentralized","tag-decentralized-exchange","tag-erc-20","tag-featured","tag-meme-coin","tag-robinhood","tag-solana"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434066"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":434068,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434066\/revisions\/434068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}