U.S. Files Forfeiture Case Targeting $61 Million in USDT

The United States filed a civil forfeiture complaint targeting approximately $61 million in Tether (USDT) allegedly tied to sanctioned Iranian oil sales and routed through a network of cryptocurrency addresses.

The complaint, filed Sept. 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeks 61,192,367.59 USDT held across 10 addresses on the Tron network. The case is listed as United States v. All USD Tether Held in the Following Cryptocurrency Addresses, No. 1:26-cv-08010.

Prosecutors allege that an interconnected group of addresses received and distributed more than $1.5 billion in proceeds from illicit Iranian oil sales. They also allege that Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale used Binance trading accounts to launder the money and support Iran’s government and military-linked entities.

Deputy U.S. Attorney Sean S. Buckley said the action reflects a determination to deprive Iran and its terrorist proxies of funds they rely on.

Civil forfeiture is a legal action against property, not a criminal conviction against a person. The USDT will not be forfeited unless the government obtains a judgment, settlement or default judgment.