# How Much Bitcoin Does the US Hold, and Where Did It Come From?
The United States has amassed an impressive stash of Bitcoin, with a total value of around $17.7 billion. But where did this wealth come from? The answer lies in the government's efforts to seize and forfeit illicitly obtained cryptocurrency assets.
## A Reserve Built on Seizures and Forfeitures
In March 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, a fund designed to hold any Bitcoin seized as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings. The initial funding for this reserve comes from an estimated 198,109 Bitcoin forfeited or seized in criminal cases.
### A Timeline of Significant Events
While we wait for official audits, let's take a look at some key events that contributed to the US becoming the world's largest nation-state holder of Bitcoin:
* **November 2020:** The first significant seizure took place when US authorities took possession of 69,370 Bitcoin worth $960 million from an individual who hacked into the Silk Road online marketplace. This was followed by a district court judge denying a motion to block the forfeiture of these funds in December 2024, clearing the Department of Justice to sell the stash. * **January 2022:** A hacker named Ilya Lichtenstein was arrested and charged with laundering $119.5 million worth of Bitcoin. His wife, Heather Morgan, received a five-year prison sentence for her role in the crime. However, some of the stolen funds were only seized, leaving the possibility that they might be returned to Bitfinex. * **March 2022:** Another significant seizure occurred when US authorities took possession of 51,351 Bitcoin worth $3.38 billion from a hacker named James "Jimmy" Zhong. While the US sold some of this Bitcoin in 2023, a portion remains part of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
### Future Plans
The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve will not be limited to just forfeited assets. The White House has announced plans to explore buying more Bitcoin at no cost to taxpayers. This move aims to secure the country's digital assets and create a stable store of value.
While the establishment of this reserve marks an important step forward, it's essential to acknowledge that the process of seizing and forfeiting cryptocurrency assets is complex and can be slow-moving. Nevertheless, with the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve now in place, we can expect to see more stability and security in the country's digital asset holdings going forward.