U.S. officials have confirmed that bitcoin forfeited in the Samourai Wallet criminal case has not been sold and will remain part of the federal government’s strategic bitcoin reserve, addressing recent reports that suggested otherwise.
The clarification came from Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, who said the Department of Justice confirmed the status of the seized assets. In a post shared Friday on X, Witt stated that the digital assets forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers William Lonergan Hill and Keonne Rodriguez “have not been liquidated and will not be liquidated,” in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve.
UPDATE: we have received confirmation from DOJ that the digital assets forfeited by Samourai Wallet have not been liquidated and will not be liquidated, per EO 14233. They will remain on the USG balance sheet as part of the SBR. https://t.co/v2GchC3vk8
— Patrick Witt (@patrickjwitt) January 16, 2026
According to Witt, the bitcoin will stay on the U.S. government’s balance sheet as part of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, or SBR.
The statement follows a report earlier this month by Bitcoin Magazine, which claimed that more than $6 million worth of bitcoin tied to the Samourai case may have been sold by the U.S. Marshals Service. That report cited a court filing and blockchain data showing the assets were transferred to a Coinbase Prime address, raising speculation they were being prepared for liquidation.
Frank Corva
Had the bitcoin been sold, it would have conflicted with an executive order signed in March that formally created the strategic bitcoin reserve. The order specifies that bitcoin held in the reserve will come from assets seized through criminal or civil forfeiture and must not be sold.
“Government BTC deposited into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve shall not be sold and shall be maintained as reserve assets of the United States,” the order states, noting that the holdings are intended to support broader governmental objectives under existing law.
The bitcoin in question was forfeited as part of the prosecution of Samourai Wallet’s founders. In November, Rodriguez was sentenced to five years in prison for operating the service, which included a crypto mixing feature that authorities said helped launder millions of dollars. Hill, the company’s chief technology officer, received a four-year sentence.
Samourai Wallet was a bitcoin wallet known for offering transaction-mixing tools designed to obscure the origin and destination of funds. While such tools can enhance privacy, U.S. prosecutors argued the service was used to facilitate illicit financial activity.
The confirmation from the White House crypto advisory office appears intended to reinforce the administration’s position on bitcoin custody and to reassure observers that federal agencies are complying with the executive order governing the strategic reserve.
