The analytical company Arkham stated that the information regarding the alleged sale of 170,000 BTC by the U.S. government, equivalent to approximately $20 billion, is not true. According to updated data, these assets remain on the balances of various agencies and have not moved for at least four months.
This is reported by Finway
Rumors of Large-Scale BTC Sale Refuted
Following publications claiming that the United States had reduced its Bitcoin reserves to 28,988 BTC, Arkham clarified that this information pertains only to the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). At the same time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other agencies also confiscate and hold digital assets.
“If this is true, it is a complete strategic mistake that sets the U.S. back years in the Bitcoin race.”
According to Arkham’s calculations, the total amount of Bitcoin owned by the U.S. government is at least 198,000 BTC, which is approximately $23.5 billion. These assets are distributed among several entities and have remained inactive for several months.
Origin and Structure of Government Crypto Assets
Arkham experts remind us that the largest amounts of Bitcoin were seized in various high-profile cases:
- 114,599 BTC — seized from Bitfinex hackers Illya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan;
- 51,680 BTC — confiscated from James Zhong, who was linked to Silk Road. Part of these assets has already been sold through the Coinbase Prime service;
- 2,874.9 BTC — transferred for safekeeping by court order following the sentencing of drug dealer Ryan Farace;
- Bitcoin worth $81 million — seized from Alameda Research accounts on Binance and Binance US;
- Assets worth $79 million — confiscated from the organizers of the fraudulent project HashFlare, Sergey Potapenko and Ivan Turogin.
Previously, Bitcoin Magazine, citing an official request from independent journalist L0la L33tz, reported that the U.S. Marshals Service holds 28,988 BTC. However, according to Arkham’s analysis, this figure is not complete as it does not account for assets from other agencies.
Thus, reports of a mass sale of Bitcoin by the U.S. government have not been confirmed – the majority of the assets remain in government ownership and are inactive.