US Justice Department seizes 9M USDT amid $225M illicit funds frozen by Tether

• The United States Department of Justice has seized approximately $9 million worth of Tether (USDT) following the freezing of funds connected to a criminal organization involved in romance scams.
• The seized funds are believed to be part of Tether's efforts to freeze $225 million worth of USDT in external self-custodied wallets associated with the scam.
• The romance scams involved bad actors developing online relationships with individuals and convincing them to invest in legitimate businesses before conning them.
• The U.S. government traced the laundered crypto through different wallet addresses and exchanges, a practice known as "chain hopping."
• Tether has been acknowledged for its assistance in transferring the seized assets.
• The U.S. government has previously seized illicit funds tied to crypto-related scams and crimes, including the Silk Road case.
• The Justice Department plans to announce significant cryptocurrency enforcement actions in coordination with the U.S. Treasury and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The sentiment of the article is negative, as it discusses criminal activities and scams related to cryptocurrency. However, there is a positive mention of law enforcement's efforts to seize the funds and protect victims.