The U.S. Department of Justice Seeks Forfeiture of $15.1 Million in USDT Stolen by North Korean Hackers

On November 16th, as reported by TheBlock, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed two civil forfeiture complaints on Friday, aiming to seize $15.1 million worth of USDT that was stolen by North Korean hackers in 2023. These seized cryptocurrencies can be traced back to the North Korean military hacker group called "Lazarus Group - Advanced Persistent Threat 38" (APT38), which carried out thefts against four overseas cryptocurrency exchanges in 2023. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized this fund in March 2025 and is currently seeking court approval to confiscate these assets and return them to the victims. The pursuit of tracing, seizing, and forfeiting the stolen virtual currencies remains ongoing as APT38 members continue to launder funds through various cryptocurrency mixers, tumblers, exchanges, and over-the-counter traders. The DOJ also announced on Friday that it has obtained guilty pleas from four U.S. citizens and one Ukrainian national who admitted to fraudulently assisting North Korean IT workers in obtaining employment in U.S. companies by providing stolen identities and hosting company laptops in their homes to create a false impression that these workers were based in the U.S.