The United States government has obtained legal ownership of more than $400 million in cryptocurrencies, real estate, and other assets connected to the Helix cryptocurrency mixing service. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The assets were seized from Larry Dean Harmon, who operated Helix between 2014 and 2017. During that time, Helix processed over $300 million in cryptocurrency transactions.
“This case demonstrates that those who think the darknet provides a safe harbor for crime are dead wrong. My office, the Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold criminals accountable—whether they act in broad daylight or hide behind a computer screen. We will find them, we will prosecute them, and we will cut them down,” said Pirro.
Harmon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in August 2021. In November 2024, he received a sentence of 36 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to forfeit both money and property. On January 21, 2026, after settling with a mortgage-holder on one of Harmon’s properties, Judge Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia issued a final order declaring the assets forfeited to the government.
Court documents indicate that Helix was among the most widely used mixing services on the darknet and was popular with online drug dealers seeking to launder proceeds from illegal activities. Helix was linked to Grams, a darknet search engine also managed by Harmon. The service processed about 354,468 bitcoin—worth roughly $311 million at transaction time—for its customers. Many of these funds were tied to darknet drug markets. Harmon kept a portion as commissions and fees.
Both Grams and Helix were built to connect with major darknet markets during their operation period. Helix’s Application Program Interface (API) allowed direct integration into bitcoin withdrawal systems on these markets. Investigators tracked tens of millions of dollars from darknet markets through Helix.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division joined Pirro in announcing the outcome along with Guy Ficco, Chief of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Brett Leatherman, FBI Assistant Director for Cyber Division.
The investigation involved the IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit and FBI Washington Field Office with support from several agencies including the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
Authorities in Belize provided key assistance through their Ministry of Attorney General and Police Department working alongside U.S. Embassy Belmopan staff. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also coordinated efforts throughout the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock Jr., Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker from the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), and Christopher B. Brown from National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.
