US government should refund crypto exchange customers Bitfinex Bitcoins stolen in a hacker attack in 2016.
As a result of the hack Bitfinex to the attacker, who turned Ilya Lichtenstein, managed to steal 119,756 BTC belonging to traders. However, US law enforcement officers were able to seize 108,068 BTC worth $10,7 billion at the current rate.
Court decided, that law enforcement officers are required to translate Bitfinex confiscated digital assets and notify victims of the cyberattack that they are entitled to compensation. In addition, the Ministry of Justice will have to create a website for victims, where information on the return of cryptocurrency will be published.
Since the theft of the coins Bitcoin has increased in price more than 166 times, because at the time of the theft the value of the coins was estimated at only $72 million. Accordingly, some clients of the exchange who manage to get their assets back will suddenly become rich.
According to the Arkham service, the US government’s crypto wallets contain are stored 198,109 bitcoins worth $19,7 billion. This means that after sending the coins confiscated from Liechtenstein, the authorities will have only 90,041 BTC left on their balance sheet. The state’s bitcoin reserves dropped significantly in November 2024, when officials sent 39,600 BTC worth $3,9 billion confiscated from the darknet marketplace Silk Road to the Coinbase exchange.
Cryptocurrencies on the US government balance sheet