DOJ Wins Authorization to Seize or Restrain $1.2B Tied to Binance Theft

The U.S. Department of Justice said on November 12 that it had obtained court authorization to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from Binance, as part of coordinated action targeting North Korean cryptocurrency theft.

The authorization applies to assets already frozen through U.S. government and private-sector efforts. The DOJ said more than $2.7 billion in assets connected to the Binance hack had been frozen. Court-authorized seizure or restraint is not a final forfeiture judgment, and the announcement does not establish that funds have been returned to victims.

The FBI previously attributed the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance to North Korean military-linked actors known as TraderTraitor. The attribution places the Binance case within the U.S. government’s stated effort to disrupt cryptocurrency theft linked to North Korea.

Separately, the FBI seized cloud infrastructure used in the FaceStealer campaign. The DOJ said that campaign, which it identified as distinct from the TraderTraitor attack on Binance, resulted in more than $400 million in cryptocurrency theft over the prior 18 months.

Court action follows asset-freezing efforts

The $1.2 billion figure describes cryptocurrency subject to the court authorization to seize or restrain it. It should not be read as a completed forfeiture or as a confirmed distribution of recovered assets. The distinction is significant because restraint and seizure proceedings can precede any final disposition of property.

The DOJ’s disclosure that more than $2.7 billion in Binance-hack assets had been frozen indicates that the announced court action covers only part of the assets identified in the broader freezing effort. The evidence supplied does not specify a timetable for further court proceedings, a process for potential victim recovery, or additional actions involving the remaining frozen assets.

Related reading: Binance News on BTCNews.

FaceStealer was a separate campaign

The infrastructure seizure also addressed FaceStealer, a social-engineering campaign that the DOJ treated separately from the Binance theft. According to the department, the campaign caused more than $400 million in cryptocurrency theft during the preceding 18 months.

This separation matters for understanding the announcement. TraderTraitor is the group the FBI linked to the Binance theft, while FaceStealer refers to another North Korean campaign whose cloud infrastructure was seized by the FBI. The actions were announced together, but the evidence does not describe them as the same operation.

Related reading: Binance Is Still the Biggest — But Traders Are Getting Quiet on BTCNews.

What the announcement confirms

The action confirms that U.S. authorities are pursuing both control of cryptocurrency linked to the Binance theft and disruption of infrastructure used in another alleged theft campaign. It also documents the role of frozen assets in enabling the court-authorized restraint or seizure action.

For readers following exchange-related developments, the case adds a law-enforcement dimension to coverage of Binance. It does not provide a basis for conclusions about the final legal outcome, the eventual disposition of the restrained assets, or recovery amounts for affected parties.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Justice: Justice Department Announces Actions to Disrupt North Korea’s Massive Theft of Cryptocurrency
• Federal Bureau of Investigation: North Korea Responsible for $6 Billion+ Binance Attack
• The Block: DOJ moves to seize $1.2 billion from Binance hack, disrupts North Korean deepfake scheme
• Associated Press: FBI says US has seized $1.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen from Binance

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