• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized $100,000 worth of property from a reported phishing scammer.
• The property seized included 86.5 Ether, two nonfungible tokens (NFTs), and an Audemars Piguet royal oak watch.
• The alleged scammer was initially exposed via an investigation by independent blockchain sleuth ZachXBT in September 2022.
FBI Seizes $100K in NFTs from Scammer
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized 86.5 Ether ETH and two nonfungible tokens (NFTs) worth more than $100,000 from a reported phishing scammer on February 4, 2023. The property also included an Audemars Piguet royal oak watch which ultimately helped ZachXBT identify the alleged scammer.
Investigation by Independent Blockchain Sleuth
The alleged scammer, Chase Senecal — known as Horror (HZ) online — was initially exposed via a lengthy investigation by independent blockchain sleuth ZachXBT posted back in September 2022. This enabled the FBI to take necessary steps in order to seize the assets for federal forfeiture for violation of federal law.
Seized Property Details
The seized property included Bored Ape Yacht Club#9658 and Doodle #3114 valued at $95,495 and $9,361 respectively at the time of seizure along with 86.5 ETH which was valued at $116,433 at the time of seizure but is now worth $144,000.
Federal Forfeiture Law Enforcement Tool
Federal forfeiture is a law enforcement tool that enables the government to „remove—without compensation for the individual—ownership of property involved in a crime.“ It may occur either as part of civil procedure or after conviction of an individual in a criminal trial according to FBI’s law enforcement bulletin on February 3rd 2021 outlining details about the case against Senecal.
Conclusion
The full scope legal proceedings against Senecal are yet unclear but it definitely appears that his assets were seized due to investigations conducted by ZachXBT and further action taken by FBI since then leading up to this point.