Did the US DOJ Sell $6 Million in Bitcoin Seized From Samourai Wallet Founders?
On-chain data does not confirm if the US DOJ sold $6 million in Bitcoin seized from Samourai Wallet founders, only that it moved to Coinbase Prime custody.Summary
Reports circulated that the US Department of Justice (DOJ), via the US Marshals Service (USMS), sold approximately 57.55 BTC forfeited by Samourai Wallet co-founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, potentially violating President Trump's Executive Order 14233 regarding the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
However, a review of on-chain data shows that while the Bitcoin was transferred from a forfeiture address to a Coinbase Prime deposit wallet on November 3, 2025, and subsequently swept internally within Coinbase Prime infrastructure, there is no blockchain evidence indicating a sale.
The lack of on-chain evidence—such as movement to a non-Coinbase entity, fragmentation typical of trade execution, or flow to known exchange settlement wallets—means the blockchain cannot confirm liquidation. Since Bitcoin-to-USD conversion on Coinbase Prime occurs off-chain, determining whether the DOJ sold the assets or retained them requires off-chain documentation like court orders or USMS records, not just blockchain analysis.
(Source：BeInCrypto)