U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro has announced the filing of a complaint seeking the recovery of $40,300 in cryptocurrency that was stolen through a business email compromise scheme. The scheme involved impersonators who claimed to represent the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee and fraudulently obtained $250,300 from an intended donor.
The perpetrators managed to launder the stolen funds through various cryptocurrency wallets. However, the FBI traced and recovered $40,300 from these transactions. The legal action aims to return these funds to the victim.
Pirro emphasized caution for donors: “All donors should double and triple check that they are sending cryptocurrency to their intended recipient. It can be extremely difficult for law enforcement to recoup lost funds due to the extremely complex nature of the blockchain.” She assured that her office is committed to pursuing criminals and aiding victims.
Assistant Director Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office warned about impersonation scams: “Impersonation scams take many forms and cost Americans billions in losses each year.” He advised verifying email addresses, URLs, and message content carefully before sending money or assets.
The fraudulent activity began on December 24, 2024, when victims received an email from someone posing as Steve Witkoff, Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. The deceptive email address closely mimicked legitimate ones but included subtle differences designed to mislead recipients.
Victims were instructed by a scammer based in Nigeria to deposit funds into a specific cryptocurrency wallet. Two days later, they transferred 250,300 USDT.ETH believing it was for the committee's use. Shortly after receiving these funds, they were moved across different crypto addresses. Through blockchain analysis, authorities identified and recovered part of this amount—$40,300—which is now subject to forfeiture proceedings.
The public is encouraged to report any suspected cybercrimes or scams via https://www.ic3.gov or learn more about business email compromise schemes at https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/business-email-compromise.
The Department of Justice acknowledged Tether's assistance in transferring these assets back during this operation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock Jr., along with FBI officials including Assistant Director Jensen from Washington Field Office-Criminal & Cyber Division are handling investigations related directly under case number 25cv2116.
