DOJ Seeks $61M Forfeiture Over Iranian Oil Proceeds Laundered via Binance
What happened: The U.
What happened: The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint in Manhattan federal court on September 15, 2026, seeking to seize approximately $61 million in crypto allegedly tied to illicit Iranian oil sales. Prosecutors claim two Chinese firms—Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale—used Binance accounts to launder proceeds to the Iranian government, IRGC, and affiliated proxies. The broader network, dubbed "Entity A," is alleged to have moved over $1.5 billion in illicit oil money through unhosted wallets.
Why it matters: This action follows recent OFAC sanctions on Iran's largest crypto exchanges and signals continued U.S. efforts to disrupt state-sponsored sanctions evasion via crypto. Notably, Binance is not named as a defendant; it is described as the venue exploited by the laundering network. The $1.5 billion figure is a prosecutorial allegation and has not been independently verified.