DOJ recovers $40K crypto from Trump-Vance inaugural scam, credits Tether

Federal prosecutors traced and seized $40,000 in crypto from scammers posing as Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee officials.

US federal prosecutors seized $40,300 in cryptocurrency recovered from an email scam that impersonated the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, according to a complaint filed by US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

The scheme tricked a donor into sending $250,300 worth of USDt (USDT) stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain to scammers posing as committee officials, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a Wednesday news release.

The scammers sent an email on Dec. 24, 2024, that appeared to come from Steve Witkoff, co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. The fake email used the domain @t47lnaugural.com, swapping a lowercase “l” for an “i” to deceive the receiver.