A White House advisor said the US Department of Justice has not sold any bitcoin forfeited in the Samourai Wallet case, pushing back on rumors that the government had liquidated seized coins.
Confirmation from the White House
Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, wrote on X that DOJ confirmed the forfeited assets were not sold and would not be sold.
Witt said the bitcoin would remain part of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve:
“We have received confirmation from DOJ that the digital assets forfeited by Samourai Wallet have not been liquidated and will not be liquidated.”
Rumors followed a 57.5 BTC transfer
The issue surfaced in November after analysts flagged a 57.5 BTC transfer from a US government-controlled address to a Coinbase Prime deposit address.
Critics alleged the move violated Executive Order 14233, signed by President Donald Trump in March, which mandates that any bitcoin obtained through criminal or civil forfeiture “shall not be sold” and must be held in the reserve.
US holdings and the reserve plan
The US government holds 328,372 BTC, worth about $31.3 billion at current prices, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net.
That figure includes 127,271 BTC forfeited in October from a Cambodia-based company accused of running a “pig butchering” investment scheme.
Witt said in a recent interview that building out the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve remains a priority, but depends on Treasury and Commerce aligning on legal requirements.
Separately, Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ Bitcoin reserve bill proposes accumulating 1 million BTC over five years.
The administration has said any accumulation would be done in budget-neutral ways.
