The US Marshals have denied the alleged sale of confiscated bitcoins to the developers of Samourai Wallet.
According to a “Asset Liquidation Agreement” obtained by Bitcoin Magazine, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) appears to have violated President Donald Trump’s executive order by selling approximately 57 bitcoins confiscated from Samourai Wallet developers through Coinbase Prime on November 3, 2025.
Executive Order 14233, signed on March 6, 2025, clearly states that all bitcoins acquired through criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings “shall not be sold” and must be transferred to the United States Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Bitcoin Magazine reports that prosecutors allegedly instructed the US Marshals Service to sell 57.55353033 BTC, valued at $6.37 million, which Samourai developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill had deposited as part of their plea agreement.
The bitcoins were reportedly sent directly to the Coinbase Prime address 3Lz5ULL7nG7vv6nwc8kNnbjDmSnawKS3n8, which currently shows a zero balance.
Senator Cynthia Lummis criticized the move, stating that the United States “can’t afford to squander these strategic assets while other nations are accumulating bitcoin.”
However, after Bitcoin Magazine published the story, the US Marshals Service denied the sale, telling DL News that they “have not sold the bitcoin mentioned” and that they “have no idea how Bitcoin Magazine would get that information.” The agency added that cryptocurrency liquidations go through a multi-level approval process and that only assets meeting the requirements of Executive Order 14233 are eligible for disposal.
The decree signed last March by President Trump explicitly states that “government BTC deposited in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve shall not be sold and are to be maintained as US reserve assets used to achieve government objectives in accordance with applicable law.”
Legal analysis indicates that the confiscated bitcoins fall under 18 U.S. Code § 982(a)(1), which governs property involved in unlicensed money transmission offenses. Neither this statute nor the incorporated § 853 requires the liquidation of forfeited assets.
The executive order allows the disposal of digital assets only in specific scenarios, such as returning funds to crime victims, law enforcement operations, sharing with state partners, or meeting specific statutory requirements—none of which apply to the Rodriguez and Hill cases.
Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House President’s Council on Digital Assets, stated on X that the council is reviewing the matter.
