Tether confirms cooperation with the U.S. government to freeze over $344 million worth of USDT

ChainCatcher News, Tether announces support for the U.S. government’s freezing of over $344 million USDT involving two wallet addresses. This freezing action was carried out in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and U.S. law enforcement agencies, aiming to prevent further movement of the funds.

The freeze was based on information provided by multiple U.S. law enforcement agencies indicating that these addresses are linked to illegal activities. Tether states that when wallet addresses are associated with sanctions evasion, criminal networks, or other illegal activities, the company will take freezing measures. Today, this has become Tether’s routine response to legitimate requests from U.S. and global law enforcement agencies.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said, “USDT is not a safe haven for illegal activities. When there is credible connection to sanctioned entities or criminal networks, we act immediately. Recent events have shown what happens when platforms fail to act swiftly, law enforcement fails, users are exposed, and trust is lost. Our approach is different; we combine blockchain transparency, real-time monitoring, and direct coordination with law enforcement to prevent fund flows. This is our responsibility as one of the largest issuers in the market, and we take it very seriously.”

This action is part of Tether’s cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Department of Justice has previously confirmed Tether’s support in law enforcement operations, successfully seizing nearly $61 million and approximately $225 million in “Pig Butchering” scam funds.