U.S. Justice Department seeks forfeiture of $320,000 in USDT tied to romance scam

The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to seize about $327,829 worth of the stablecoin Tether (USDT), believed to be linked to an online romance scam.

According to Cointelegraph on the 2nd (local time), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said it plans to recover 327,829 USDT by filing a civil forfeiture complaint. Authorities believe the funds are connected to an online romance scam carried out since 2024 by an individual named “Linda Brown” targeting a Massachusetts resident.

The Justice Department said it confirmed that part of the victim’s funds were moved to multiple non-custodial (unhosted) virtual asset (cryptocurrency) wallets, which were seized in August 2025. It added that the complaint alleges all virtual assets associated with those wallets constitute property used for money laundering.

The action comes about three weeks after countries marked Valentine’s Day (February 14). Earlier, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio warned ahead of Valentine’s Day: “Do not send money, gift cards or virtual assets to someone you have never met in person,” urging caution over romance scams.

Meanwhile, Tether has not immediately issued an official statement on the matter. Previously, Tether said it has frozen about $4.2 billion in USDT over the past three years suspected of being linked to illicit activity. Tether has the authority to freeze tokens by blacklisting specific wallet addresses. In February, it announced it froze about $544 million worth of USDT at the request of Turkish authorities, believed to be tied to illegal betting platforms and money laundering.