Gold giant freezes $344 million tied to illicit activity

XAUt

GOLD

CIN

On April 23, Tether announced it had supported the freezing of $344 million in USDT stablecoin across two blockchain addresses.

USDT is the world's largest stablecoin issued by Tether that stays pegged to $1.

One held $131.3 million and another held $212.9 million. The addresses were on the Tron network.

The freeze was executed in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and multiple United States law enforcement agencies, following information shared with Tether about activity tied to unlawful conduct.

Tether has long been more than a digital dollar play. The company also issues Tether Gold (XAUt), a token backed by physical gold reserves, earning it the nickname "gold giant" among crypto insiders.

How the freeze worked

Unlike traditional banking, where frozen assets require lengthy legal processes, blockchain's public architecture gave investigators a critical edge.

Every transaction on a public blockchain leaves a visible trail. This means wallets can be flagged, funds tracked, and assets frozen before they move further downstream.

Tether acted on that advantage quickly. Once the two addresses were identified as connected to sanctions evasion or criminal networks, Tether restricted them, preventing further movement.

The addresses were:

TTiDLWE6fZK8okMJv6ijg42yrH6W2pjSr9 - approx. $131.3 million worth USDT
TNiq9AXBp9EjUqhDhrwrfvAA8U3GUQZH81- approx. $212.9 million worth USDT

The entire action, from identification to freeze, was executed in minutes.

"USDT is not a safe haven for illicit activity," said Paolo Ardoino, Tether's CEO.

"When credible links to sanctioned entities or criminal networks are identified, we act immediately and decisively."

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A pattern, not a one-off

This freeze is not an isolated event. Tether said that it now works with more than 340 law enforcement agencies across 65 countries, supporting over 2,300 cases globally. More than 1,200 of them are tied to U.S. law enforcement alone.

Tether has frozen over $4.4 billion in assets in total so far, including $2.1 billion connected to U.S. authorities.

Previous cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) led to the seizure of nearly $61 million and approximately $225 million tied to "pig butchering fraud." In this scam, victims are manipulated into fake investment platforms before being defrauded of their savings.

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