North America Market Reports

U.S. Government Gains Approval to Sell $6.5 Billion in Seized Bitcoin

By RT Staff Reporters · January 9, 2025 · 2 min read

The US Department of Justice received court approval to sell 69,370 Bitcoin worth $6.5 billion, DB News reported on January 9, 2025. This decision marks the end of a four-year legal battle over cryptocurrency seized from the Silk Road darknet marketplace.

Chief US District Judge Richard Seeborg rejected claims from Battle Born Investments and others seeking ownership of the Bitcoin stash. The ruling allows the DOJ to proceed with the sale of these assets.

The government already moved $2 billion worth of Bitcoin to Coinbase in December 2024. This transfer signaled preparations for the impending liquidation. The US Marshals Service manages custody of the seized cryptocurrency through Coinbase Prime.

The timing of this decision raises eyebrows in the crypto community. It comes less than two weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration as president.

Trump campaigned on creating a strategic Bitcoin reserve and advised against selling government-held Bitcoin. This stance contrasts sharply with the outgoing administration’s actions.

U.S. Government Gains Approval to Sell $6.5 Billion in Seized Bitcoin. (Photo Internet reproduction)

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Bitcoin’s Price Dips Amid Government Plans for Liquidation

Market reactions to the news were swift. Bitcoin‘s price dropped from around $95,000 to below $92,000. Investors worry about potential market volatility if the government dumps large amounts of Bitcoin.

However, some analysts believe these concerns may be overblown. Cryptocurrency expert Van Straten points out that the market has absorbed over 1 million Bitcoin since September.

During this time, Bitcoin’s price surged from $60,000 to above $100,000. He argues that an orderly sale of 69,370 Bitcoin could occur with minimal market disruption.

The US government‘s Bitcoin holdings are substantial. Arkham Intelligence reports that the government currently possesses 198,109 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $18 billion. This amount includes seized assets from various criminal cases over the years.

The Silk Road case represents one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures in history. It highlights the government’s growing role in the crypto market. The DOJ’s handling of this sale could set precedents for future asset forfeitures and liquidations.

Live Market IntelligenceCrypto — Live Market BoardInside: market breadth, the sector heatmap, currencies & rates, the Latin America scoreboard and the full instrument board.

Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence

Crypto — Live Market Board

Digital assets
Jul 25, 2026 · 08:07

Bitcoin · benchmark

64,016
-0.13%

L 63,756day rangeH 64,127

-45.58% over 12 months

Market breadth · 16 names

25% advancing

4 ▲ advancing12 declining ▼

Currencies, rates & key inputs

Ethereum

1,858

-0.13%

Solana

73.95

+0.09%

Gold

4,071

+0.60%

USD / BRL

5.08

-0.24%

Full instrument board

Instrument	Last	Change	YoY	Prev.	High	Low	Volume
BTC	64,016	-0.13%	-45.58%	64,098	64,127	63,756	23,082,907,648
ETH	1,858	-0.13%	-50.15%	1,860	1,862	1,851	7,103,680,512
SOL	73.95	+0.09%	-60.40%	73.88	74.26	73.62	1,455,550,336
XRP	1.09	-0.06%	-65.30%	1.09	1.09	1.09	912,686,272
BNB	565.27	+0.17%	-28.05%	564.34	565.63	563.64	976,339,136
ADA	0.16	-1.11%	-80.15%	0.16	0.16	0.16	172,276,928
DOGE	0.07	+0.00%	-70.65%	0.07	0.07	0.07	545,577,856
AVAX	6.27	-0.43%	-73.88%	6.30	6.31	6.23	227,523,712
LINK	8.31	-0.29%	-54.58%	8.33	8.35	8.27	164,773,072
DOT	0.81	+0.83%	-80.07%	0.81	0.82	0.81	58,554,584
LTC	45.90	-0.92%	-59.67%	46.33	46.40	45.78	178,867,920
BCH	210.80	+0.11%	-62.14%	210.58	212.41	209.38	92,436,312
TRX	0.33	-0.30%	+3.93%	0.33	0.33	0.33	361,191,040
XLM	0.18	-0.16%	-58.86%	0.18	0.18	0.18	112,503,944
HBAR	0.07	-0.94%	-72.90%	0.07	0.07	0.07	45,450,444
NEAR	1.79	-1.10%	-37.46%	1.81	1.81	1.78	145,375,648
ATOM	1.38	-0.97%	-70.72%	1.39	1.40	1.37	18,521,656
AAVE	91.00	-2.20%	-69.06%	93.05	93.05	90.74	158,580,464

Largest moves today

AAVE
91.00
-2.20%

ADA
0.16
-1.11%

NEAR
1.79
-1.10%

ATOM
1.38
-0.97%

HBAR
0.07
-0.94%

LTC
45.90
-0.92%

DOT
0.81
+0.83%

AVAX
6.27
-0.43%

The session read

The Bitcoin eased 0.13%, with breadth negative — 4 of 16 names higher. DOT led, while AAVE lagged.

From The Rio Times

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U.S. Government Gains Approval to Sell $6.5 Billion in Seized Bitcoin

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