The U.S. Department of Justice Seeks Forfeiture of $15.1 Million in USDT Stolen by North Korean Hackers

BlockBeats News, November 16th, according to TheBlock, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday filed two civil forfeiture complaints seeking to seize $15.1 million worth of USDT stolen by North Korean hackers in 2023. These seized cryptocurrencies can be traced back to the North Korean military hacker group known as "Lazarus Group - Advanced Persistent Threat 38" (APT38), which conducted thefts against four overseas cryptocurrency exchanges in 2023. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized this fund in March 2025 and is currently seeking court approval to confiscate these assets for return to the victims.

The efforts to trace, seize, and forfeit the stolen virtual currencies continue as APT38 members persist in laundering funds through various cryptocurrency mixers, tumblers, exchanges, and over-the-counter traders. The DOJ also announced Friday that it has obtained guilty pleas from four U.S. citizens and one Ukrainian national who admitted to fraudulently helping North Korean IT workers secure employment in U.S. companies by providing stolen identities and hosting company laptops in their homes to create a false impression of these workers being based in the U.S.