WASHINGTON, January 20, 2026, 03:06 EST
- White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt said the Justice Department confirmed that Samourai Wallet bitcoin wasn’t sold and will remain in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
- In November, a transfer of 57.5 bitcoin to a Coinbase Prime deposit address sparked market chatter about a potential U.S. liquidation
- Officials say building out the reserve is still on the government’s “priority list,” though interagency legal wrangling is causing delays
A senior White House crypto advisor confirmed the U.S. Justice Department has not sold the bitcoin seized in the Samourai Wallet case. Instead, it will stay in the government’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. 1
This clarification is crucial for traders since the volume of bitcoin held by the U.S. is significant enough to shake prices, even if sold in small amounts. The Samourai transfer was closely monitored to see if the administration’s “do not sell” stance would hold once seized coins start shifting between agencies and custodians.
This comes as the White House moves to put its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into action—a custody plan designed to lock up forfeited bitcoin instead of auctioning it off. Witt confirmed the project remains on the government’s “priority list,” in a recent interview referenced by ZyCrypto. 2
“We have received confirmation from DOJ that the digital assets forfeited by Samourai Wallet have not been liquidated and will not be liquidated,” Witt posted on X Friday. He added the bitcoin is still held in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. 3
The statement came after blockchain records—public transaction logs on the crypto network—revealed 57.5 bitcoin moved in November from a government-linked address to an address analysts identified as a Coinbase Prime deposit. Critics said the transfer appeared to be prepping for a sale.
President Donald Trump’s March 2025 order sets up the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, specifying that government-held bitcoin “shall not be sold” and must remain as reserve assets. Exceptions include cases like victim restitution or other legal mandates. The directive also tasks the Treasury and Commerce departments with finding “budget neutral” methods to acquire more bitcoin without adding costs for taxpayers. 4
Data from Bitcoin Treasuries shows the U.S. government holds 328,372 bitcoin, worth over $31 billion at current market prices. This figure includes 127,271 bitcoin seized last October from a Cambodia-based firm linked to a “pig butchering” scam — a long-con fraud that lures victims before forcing fake investments. 5
Witt noted that advancing the reserve hinges on Treasury and Commerce working out legal and procedural issues, not on immediate bitcoin purchases. Senator Cynthia Lummis has introduced a bill aiming to formalize and accelerate the reserve’s development, setting a goal to amass up to 1 million bitcoin within five years.
That said, the “no sale” pledge isn’t ironclad. The executive order includes exceptions for transfers or disposals mandated by court orders, victim repayments, or other legal requirements. But when coins move through exchange-linked addresses, it’s tough to tell these actions apart from outright sales.
At present, the administration aims to curb the market’s reflex to view government wallets as a pending supply glut. U.S. officials have auctioned off seized crypto before, and traders often interpret any government-related transfer as a possible overhang.
The real crunch now isn’t the Samourai coins themselves, but the logistics: who’s in charge of custody, how transfer records are kept, and how fast the Treasury can fold these holdings into the reserve system without sparking new sell-off chatter. 6
