US sells off seized Bitcoin at Justice Department’s direction…potential violation of ‘Strategic Bitcoin Reserve’ executive order
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Summary
- The US Marshals Service said it sold about 57.55BTC of Bitcoin seized in connection with the Samourai Wallet case, at the direction of the US Department of Justice, through Coinbase Prime.
- It said criticism has been raised that the sale could conflict with Executive Order EO 14233, which requires seized Bitcoin to be incorporated into and held as the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
- The market said the case could become a test of how the US Bitcoin policy stance and the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve plan are applied in actual administrative enforcement.
It has emerged belatedly that the US government sold Bitcoin seized during criminal investigations, raising the possibility that the sale violated an executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
According to Bitcoin Magazine on the 6th (local time), the US Marshals Service (USMS), acting on instructions from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), reportedly sold about 57.55 BTC confiscated in connection with the Samourai Wallet case on November 3, 2025, through Coinbase Prime.
The issue is that the move could run directly counter to the intent of Executive Order EO 14233 signed by President Trump. The order stipulates that Bitcoin obtained through criminal or civil forfeiture procedures should not be sold into the market, but instead incorporated into and held as the US government’s “U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.”
In other words, the core of the executive order is that seized Bitcoin should be managed as a strategic national asset rather than converted into cash. Accordingly, if this sale took place after the executive order took effect, critics say controversy over procedural and legal consistency would be unavoidable.
Market participants also say the case could serve as a test of how consistently the US stance on Bitcoin policy is being applied in actual administrative enforcement. In particular, attention is on explanations from the Justice Department and relevant authorities, as the case may indicate whether the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve concept will remain a symbolic declaration or take hold as a concrete asset-management principle.
