U.S. Authorities Secure $1.2B Linked to Binance Theft
Court orders enabled U.S. authorities to seize or halt transfers of more than $1.2 billion in crypto stolen from Binance, alongside the takedown of a separate North Korea-linked scam infrastructure.
Court orders enabled U.S. authorities to seize or halt transfers of more than $1.2 billion in crypto stolen from Binance, alongside the takedown of a separate North Korea-linked scam infrastructure. This is an original Token Times brief synthesising 3 outlets (Bitcoin Sistemi, Blockonomi, The Block), with their figures cross-checked, plus live market data, as of Fri, 13 Nov 2026 02:45:01 UTC.
The action converts a portion of a large cross-border theft into court-controlled or seized assets while extending enforcement to the infrastructure behind another crypto fraud operation.
- Court orders covered over $1.2 billion in assets linked to Binance
- More than $2.7 billion in Binance hack losses reportedly remained frozen
- FaceStealer infrastructure was seized after a separate $400 million theft
- Bitcoin fell 3.87% as the crypto market traded broadly lower
Bitcoin Sistemi, Blockonomi and The Block all report that the U.S. Department of Justice obtained court authorization to seize or prevent the transfer of more than $1.2 billion in crypto assets stolen from Binance. Bitcoin Sistemi and Blockonomi also agree that authorities seized the cloud infrastructure associated with the separate FaceStealer campaign, which stole more than $400 million; The Block characterizes the same operation as a deepfake scam. Blockonomi provides the broader loss and freezing figures, reporting that Binance hack losses exceeded $6 billion and that more than $2.7 billion was frozen, including the assets covered by the court orders. It also attributes the attack to North Korean hackers known as TraderTraitor and notes North Korea’s denial of involvement, while The Block likewise links the theft to TraderTraitor. The outlets differ mainly in emphasis rather than substance: Bitcoin Sistemi and Blockonomi quantify the FaceStealer losses and infrastructure seizure, while The Block foregrounds its deepfake-scam description.
The U.S. Department of Justice has received court authorization to seize or prevent the transfer of more than $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from Binance. 
Bitcoin Sistemi, Blockonomi and The Block all identify the action as covering assets connected with the exchange’s theft, with the reported figure consistently exceeding $1.2 billion.
The FBI has attributed the Binance attack to North Korean hackers operating under the name TraderTraitor, according to Blockonomi and The Block. Blockonomi reports that total losses from the Binance hack surpassed $6 billion, while more than $2.7 billion was frozen, including the over $1.2 billion addressed through court orders. North Korea has denied involvement, Blockonomi said.
Separately, authorities seized the cloud infrastructure used by the FaceStealer campaign, according to Bitcoin Sistemi and Blockonomi. The operation was built around fake meetings and deepfakes and resulted in the theft of more than $400 million in crypto assets. The Block described the same enforcement action as taking down a deepfake scam, while Bitcoin Sistemi and Blockonomi supplied the $400 million figure and explicitly described the infrastructure seizure.
The two enforcement actions concern related North Korean-attributed activity but separate schemes: the Binance-centered theft and the FaceStealer fake-meeting operation. The court-approved action gives U.S. authorities a legal mechanism to take control of the listed assets or stop their movement, while the infrastructure seizure targets the technical systems associated with the separate campaign. These steps do not amount to a full recovery of every reported loss, as the figures cited for total Binance losses, frozen funds and court-controlled assets are distinct.
The broader market was under pressure when the enforcement news emerged. The total crypto market capitalization stood at $2.44 trillion, and the market was broadly down. Bitcoin was 3.87% lower over 24 hours, while the Fear & Greed Index registered 20, placing sentiment in the Extreme Fear zone.
The development matters for asset recovery and the reach of cross-border enforcement, particularly because the action combines court orders with the seizure of scam infrastructure. The next points to monitor are the practical status of the seized or blocked assets, the disposition of the frozen funds and whether further action is announced against the remaining infrastructure. The concurrent decline in Bitcoin and risk-off market backdrop provide the immediate price context for the wider crypto sector.
2 key figures independently matched across 3 outlets reporting this story.
Token Times extracts the figures each outlet reports and flags the ones that agree. Numbers cited by only one outlet are attributed in the brief, not shown as corroborated.
U.S. Authorities Secure $1.2B Linked to Binance Theft — questions & answers
How much crypto did the DOJ court orders cover?
The court authorization covered more than $1.2 billion in assets linked to the Binance theft, a figure cited by all three outlets.
Was FaceStealer part of the Binance hack?
Coverage describes FaceStealer as a separate fake-meeting and deepfake scheme that stole more than $400 million, although it was also linked to North Korean activity.
Who was blamed for the Binance attack?
The FBI attributed the attack to North Korean hackers known as TraderTraitor, while North Korea denied involvement, according to Blockonomi.
Which outlets reported this story?
This is an original Token Times brief that synthesises reporting from Bitcoin Sistemi, Blockonomi, The Block, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.
Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Token Times brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.