“This is the first time that the seized crypto assets are actually delivered to the state leadership,” the statement reads. The funds came from wallets controlled by a member of an alleged international hacking group, the office said.
However, fund management involves custody of digital assets, not ownership. The USDT is located in a wallet that ARMA controls, but has not been formally seized, a step that requires a conviction. ARMA already manages seized homes and cars, but has no history of including cryptocurrencies on its books.
Investigators accused the group of attacking people and companies in Europe and the United States, stealing private data, demanding ransoms and laundering profits in Ukraine through real estate, cars and other high-value property.
Four suspects, including the alleged organizer, have been arrested and remain in custody, the statement added, and have not yet been sentenced. Investigators estimate the damage caused by the group’s activities at more than $100 million.
So far, authorities have seized assets worth more than $11.1 million, including houses, apartments, cars, $1 million in cash, and virtual assets equivalent to more than $8.3 million.
