Key Takeaways
US prosecutors seek $61M in Tether tied to an alleged $1.5B Iranian oil network, while Binance faces no accusations.
According to CryptoSlate, US prosecutors have filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking approximately $61.2 million in USDT across 10 Tron addresses linked to alleged black-market Iranian oil sales that reportedly benefited the Iranian government and military, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The targeted funds were previously frozen by Tether, and a seizure warrant now allows federal agents to move the value into government custody by having Tether burn the frozen tokens and issue equivalent replacements to an FBI-controlled wallet.
The $61 million seizure represents a fraction of a broader network prosecutors say moved over $1.5 billion. Investigators traced funds through cryptocurrency addresses, Iran-based exchange Nobitex, Hong Kong-incorporated Blessed Trust Limited, Hexa Whale Trading Limited, and trading accounts at Binance. Binance is not accused of any wrongdoing in the case. Binance Chief Executive Richard Teng stated that the exchange has zero tolerance for sanctions violations and cooperated with law enforcement. The complaint also notes that conventional US banking channels were touched, with funds moving through US correspondent accounts.
Source & Fact-Check Note
This report is synthesized from coverage by CryptoSlate. Information has been fact-checked and structured for market clarity by CoinQuickly’s research desk.
Read original article at CryptoSlate ↗
