US Judge Seizes $8 Million in Crypto Linked to North Korean IT Workers

A U.S. federal judge has ordered the forfeiture of cryptocurrency tied to North Korean IT workers, granting the Justice Department a partial victory in its effort to seize nearly $8 million in virtual assets.

The ruling comes as U.S. authorities intensify efforts to disrupt North Korea's overseas IT workforce, which Washington says numbers in the thousands worldwide.

The wallet received approximately 158,123 USDC from at least 10 addresses used to receive payments for North Korean IT workers, as well as 54,574 USDT from at least four other worker payment addresses.

The Justice Department had sought forfeiture of a much larger pool of assets worth more than $7.74 million, but the judge denied the request for the remaining property without prejudice, finding that the government had failed to adequately identify those assets in its public forfeiture notice.