DOJ Seeks $61M in Frozen USDT Allegedly Linked to Black-Market Iranian Oil Sales

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking $61.2 million in frozen Tether (USDT) allegedly tied to black-market Iranian oil sales.

The complaint targets ten TRON addresses, which collectively held 61.19 million USDT when the government submitted its complaint on September 14. Tether had already frozen all ten targeted wallets by that time.

Prosecutors allege that seven linked wallets moved more than $1.5 billion from sanctioned Iranian oil sales. They claim that Hong Kong-incorporated Blessed Trust Limited and Hexa Whale Trading Limited used Binance accounts to help convert proceeds from Iranian crude oil and petroleum sales into cryptocurrency.