FBI Dallas has seized 20.2 Bitcoin, or more than $2.4 million worth of cryptocurrency from the Chaos ransomware gang. The federal government has filed a civilian complaint seeking the forfeiture of the funds.
The assets were initially seized on April 15, 2025, from a crypto wallet associated with a member of the cybercrime group. However, at the time of public disclosure on July 28, this value had jumped to $2.4 million. The FBI also pointed out that the ransomware group has been linked to attacks carried out in the Northern District of Texas.
In addition to the FBI’s announcement, the US Department of Justice also published a statement explaining that the US government has filed a civil complaint in the Northern District of Texas seeking forfeiture of the seized assets. According to the statement, “the seized cryptocurrency, now valued at over $2.4m, allegedly constitutes property involved in unlawful activity, or proceeds of or property derived from unlawful activity, including money laundering and extortion related to damage to a protected computer, commonly referred to as a ransomware attack.”
These forfeited funds go to a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a US digital asset stockpile established by US President Donald Trump in March 2025. These assets are then used to meet operational funding requirements or provide compensation to victims.
As for the Chaos ransomware gang, this is the second major shock its operators have received in a short period of time. On July 25, US law enforcement agencies seized dark web extortion sites used by the BlackSuit ransomware gang to display victims. Blacksuit has since evolved into the Chaos ransomware group and remains operational, but the site takedown combined with asset seizure are major blows to the group’s operations.
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