U.S. Congress Plans to Restart the Department of Justice Cryptocurrency Crime Task Force to Crack Down on Cryptocurrency Theft and Fraud

June 16 News, according to the official statement from Gooden's office, the U.S. Congress is pushing forward a new bill to rebuild the Department of Justice's Cryptocurrency Crime Task Force, filling the previous enforcement gap.

As early as April last year, the Department of Justice disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and ceased its "enforcement over regulation" strategy against the crypto industry, a policy shift that laid the groundwork for current legislative actions.

The new bill, jointly proposed by Representatives Lance Gooden and Josh Gottheimer, plans to establish a Federal Cryptocurrency Theft Task Force within the Department of Justice, responsible for coordinating investigations and prosecutions of cases involving crypto asset theft, hacking, and scams.

Based on this, the task force will develop best practices for evidence collection, digital evidence analysis, asset tracing, and victim outreach, aiming to build a systematic law enforcement response mechanism.

The bill excludes the cryptocurrency market, financial institutions, and financial products from regulation, emphasizing that it will not alter existing regulatory frameworks or criminal law, reflecting lawmakers' cautious approach to strengthen enforcement while avoiding excessive market intervention.

Additionally, the task force will provide technical assistance and training to state and local law enforcement agencies and coordinate international cross-border case collaborations to form a multi-layered, cross-regional law enforcement network.

According to FBI data, in 2025, there were 181,565 complaints involving cryptocurrencies, with reported losses exceeding $11 billion, and total losses from cybercrimes approaching $21 billion, highlighting the urgency of establishing a dedicated enforcement agency.

Overall, while the bill fills the enforcement gap in crypto crime, key details such as funding, personnel allocation, and victim response mechanisms remain unclear, and its actual enforcement effectiveness remains to be seen.

Therefore, in the context of increasingly complex crypto crimes, lawmakers need to strike a balance between strengthening enforcement and improving institutional safeguards to ensure the task force can truly be effective rather than merely symbolic.

#美国国会 # Cryptocurrency Regulation