“This is the first time that seized crypto assets are actually handed over to state leadership,” the statement said. The funds came from wallets controlled by a member of a suspected international hacking group, the bureau said.
However, fund management involves custody of digital assets and not ownership of them. The USDT is in a wallet controlled by ARMA but has not been officially confiscated, a step that requires a conviction. ARMA already handles repossessed homes and cars, but has no record of crypto being listed on its books.
Investigators accused the group of attacking people and businesses in Europe and the United States, stealing private data, demanding ransoms and laundering proceeds in Ukraine in the form of real estate, cars and other high-value assets.
Four suspects, including the alleged organizer, were arrested and remain in detention, the press release added, and have not yet been sentenced. Investigators estimate the damage linked to the group’s activities at more than $100 million.
Authorities have so far seized assets worth more than $11.1 million, including homes, apartments, cars, $1 million in cash and virtual assets worth more than $8.3 million.
