The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) recently transferred 10,000 Bitcoins, potentially linked to the Silk Road seizure, sparking widespread speculation about an impending government sale. However, Finance lawyer Scott Johnsson has expressed concern over the move, pointing out that this may be a prelude to a sell-off of bitcoins. He mentioned in his argument that the existing contract between the USMS and Coinbase Prime is one of the variables in this calculation.
At the same time, in June, Johnsson drew attention to the relation of the recent Bitcoin transfers to the agreement that started in June, to the fact that if the asset is moved to Coinbase Prime, it is also a sale of the USMS assets. He said the assets had been kept separately until this point, indicating that the sale process has begun or is in the pipeline.
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Mutual Transmissions and Political Consequences
Although Coinbase Prime would seem to be engaged in the transaction in question, Johnsson pointed out that other platforms may also remain involved. He said any movement to a mixed exchange address might signal a sell-off and even posited that some of the seized Bitcoin had perhaps already been dumped.
Further, Johnsson pointed out the emerging political aspect concerning the actions of the USMS. He wondered if the sale might have been hastened by former President Donald Trump’s advocacy for Bitcoin during his electoral campaigns. Furthermore, it all happened simultaneously at Vice President Kamala Harris’ Crypto4Harris event this week, adding a political spice to the whole thing.
These Bitcoins have their history in the historic 2022 seizure by DoJ that involved over 50,000 Bitcoins associated with the Silk Road dark web sales platform. Recall that in late July 2024, Arkham Intelligence detected an unnamed transaction for 29,800 BTC or about $1.7 billion. Opinion makers have since speculated that this transfer could be in bearing to the seized funds.
Earlier this week, 10,000 Silk Road Bitcoins were reportedly moved from the USMS to Coinbase Prime. Johnsson estimates that an official confirmation of these transactions will be released in the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program FY2024 report, expected by January 2025.
In conclusion, the recent Bitcoin transfers by the USMS have led to increased speculation about a potential sale, with analysts closely monitoring further developments.
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