Selling the bitcoin would have violated President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14233, which stipulates that bitcoin obtained through criminal or civil seizure “shall not be sold.”
A White House crypto adviser said he received confirmation from the U.S. Department of Justice that no Bitcoin forfeited within the Samourai case had been sold, putting an end to the rumors.
The confirmation was shared on X by Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House Presidential Advisory Council on Digital Assets:
“We have received confirmation from the DOJ that the digital assets forfeited by Samourai Wallet haven’t been and is not going to be liquidated,” Witt posted on X on Friday, adding that the forfeited bitcoins would remain a part of the strategic bitcoin reserve.
Source: Patrick Witt
The issue emerged in November when blockchain analysts reported a transfer of 57.5 Bitcoin (BTC) from a US government-controlled BTC address to a Coinbase Prime deposit address.
The Marshals Service has been accused of violating Executive Order 14233, signed by President Donald Trump in March, which requires that any bitcoins the federal government obtains through criminal or civil seizure “shall not be sold” and have to be stored within the SBR.
The US now has over 328,000 BTC
Data from Bitcoin Treasuries shows that the US government owns 328,372 Bitcoin, price over $31.3 billion at current market prices.
Included in that tally are 127,271 Bitcoins forfeited in October by a Cambodia-based company that allegedly ran a “pig-slaughtering” crypto investment scheme.
Bitcoin reservation continues to be a “priority” for the Trump administration.
In an interview published on Crypto in America on Tuesday, Witt said that expanding the SBR continues to be on the “priority list” and shall be moved forward once financial and industrial authorities agree on handle certain legal requirements.
The Bitcoin Reserve Bill, sponsored by US Senator Cynthia Lummis, goals to speed up this process, aiming to build up a million Bitcoin over five years.
The US government stated that its strategy is to build up Bitcoin in a budget-neutral manner and for gratis to taxpayers.
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