U.S. Justice Department seizes over $1 million in cryptocurrency from BlackSuit ransomware gang

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the seizure of $1,091,453 in cryptocurrency and other digital assets from the BlackSuit ransomware group, marking another major strike against the prolific cybercrime syndicate. The assets, valued at the time of confiscation on January 9, 2024, were traced back to a ransom payment made by a victim on April 4, 2023.

Authorities said the victim paid 49.3 Bitcoin, worth roughly $1.45 million at the time, in exchange for a decryption tool. Investigators tracked the funds as the cybercriminals moved them repeatedly between virtual currency exchange accounts in an effort to hide the money’s origin. The digital trail eventually led to a cooperating exchange, where the assets were frozen.

The evidence enabling the seizure was collected by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia on or about June 21, 2024. The action comes shortly after U.S. and international partners dismantled BlackSuit’s dark web extortion portals during “Operation Checkmate,” a coordinated takedown targeting the group’s infrastructure.

BlackSuit has been linked to multiple ransomware variants, including Royal, Quantum, and, more recently, Chaos. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported last week that Royal and BlackSuit together have carried out 450 successful attacks across the United States, hitting sectors such as healthcare, education, government, energy, and public safety. Homeland Security Investigations estimates the combined groups have collected more than $370 million in ransom payments based on current cryptocurrency valuations.

The Justice Department’s seizure follows another recent recovery involving the group. On July 28, the FBI’s Dallas field office announced the confiscation of 20 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $2.4 million, from an address tied to a key Chaos ransomware operator. The Justice Department has since filed a civil complaint seeking forfeiture of those funds.