DOJ Pursues Recovery of $327K in Tether Tokens Linked to Online Romance Scam
In the weeks following Valentine's Day celebrations, the United States Department of Justice announced its efforts to reclaim cryptocurrency assets allegedly tied to a digital romance fraud operation.
Federal prosecutors from the United States Department of Justice have initiated proceedings to reclaim approximately $327,829 in stablecoin assets that are allegedly linked to a money laundering operation associated with a romance scam conducted online.
According to a notice released on Monday, the US Attorney's Office representing Massachusetts announced the filing of a civil forfeiture action aimed at recovering more than 327,829 tokens of Tether's USDt (USDT). Federal authorities claim the cryptocurrency is connected to an alleged romance fraud operation orchestrated by someone using the identity "Linda Brown," which victimized a resident of Massachusetts beginning in 2024.
Some of the victim's funds were traced to multiple unhosted cryptocurrency wallets, which were seized in August 2025. The complaint alleges that all cryptocurrency associated with those wallets was property involved in money laundering.
US Justice Department
The announcement regarding the romance fraud case arrived approximately three weeks following Valentine's Day celebrations observed in numerous countries worldwide. Prior to the romantic holiday, the US Attorney's Office representing Ohio's Northern District released a public advisory concerning romance scams, cautioning individuals against sending "money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency to someone you have not met in person."
Cointelegraph contacted Tether requesting a statement regarding this matter, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Tether froze $4.2 billion tied to illicit activity in previous three years
This past Friday, a representative speaking on behalf of the stablecoin issuing company reportedly informed Reuters that Tether had frozen approximately $4.2 billion worth of USDt linked to suspected criminal activity since 2023.
The firm possesses the capability to freeze its stablecoin tokens through blacklisting specific wallet addresses. As an illustration, Tether announced in February that it had frozen approximately $544 million purportedly connected to illegal betting platforms and money laundering operations following a request from Turkish authorities.