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The DOJ has seized crypto tied to Hamas, tracing $1.5 million through global wallets and encrypted chats as part of a crackdown on terror funding via cryptocurrency.
DOJ Seizes Crypto Tied to Hamas With $1.5M Trail Across Global Wallets
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on March 27 that it had disrupted an international terrorist financing operation by seizing digital assets intended to benefit Hamas. Officials said:
The court-authorized seizure interdicts cryptocurrency valued at approximately $200,000 intended to support the terrorist activities of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Hamas).
According to investigators, the confiscated funds had been traced to a network of crypto wallets and laundering operations that had moved more than $1.5 million in cryptocurrency since October 2024.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Edward R. Martin Jr., stated: “These seizures show that this office will search high and low for every cent of money going to fund Hamas, wherever it is found, and in whatever form of currency.” He added: “Hamas is responsible for the death of many U.S. and Israeli nationals, and we will stop at nothing to stop their campaign of terror and murder.”
Authorities said the fundraising effort was facilitated through encrypted online communications. “A group chat claiming association with Hamas on an encrypted communications platform provided Hamas supporters worldwide with a changing set of at least 17 cryptocurrency addresses,” the DOJ detailed. Those addresses served as donation points and were funneled into a centralized wallet, before being laundered through over-the-counter brokers and cryptocurrency exchanges.
Federal authorities revealed specific seizure details, confirming:
Included among the assets seized were cryptocurrency addresses valued at approximately $89,900 and three additional accounts containing cryptocurrency valued at approximately $111,500.
“These accounts were registered in the names of Palestinian individuals living in Turkey and elsewhere,” the DOJ noted, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.