The US Marshals Service (USMS) says it did not sell 57.5 Bitcoin that the crypto media and on-chain sleuths had recently flagged as liquidated, pushing back the issue that the government may issue coins despite the order of the Strategic BTC Reserve of US President Donald Trump.
The dispute arose after Bitcoin Magazine cited court documents that appeared to authorize the liquidation of BTC tied to the Samurai Wallet case, and since the movement of the blockchain showed the coins arriving at Coinbase Prime, an activity that traders often treat as a sell signal, even if it is not clear in itself.
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis, one of Washington’s most outspoken Bitcoin supporters, was shocked by the report to question why the government would sell it at all. “We cannot pay for these strategic assets while other nations are hoarding Bitcoin. I am very concerned about this report,” he wrote on X, referring to sales related to Samurai.
Why is the US gov still banning bitcoin when @POTUS are these assets specifically directed to be reserved for our Strategic Bitcoin Reserve? We cannot afford to waste these strategic assets while other nations accumulate bitcoin. I am very concerned about this report.
— Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) January 6, 2026
No Bitcoin Sold: USMS
At the center of the controversy is Executive Order 14233, which requires BTC obtained through criminal or civilian expropriation to be preserved as part of the US Strategic BTC Reserve. The report suggested that the alleged sale was in violation of that mandate.
After DL News published its story, however, the USMS directly denied that any such sale had taken place, and criticized the reporting process: [The USMS] did not sell said Bitcoin and has no knowledge of how Bitcoin Magazine could obtain that information. But they did not check us or contact us to get information.”
In addition, the US Marshals told DL News that “the USMS cryptocurrency ban goes through a multi-level approval process to ensure that discarded digital assets that meet the requirements of Section D of Executive Order 14233 are disposed of.”
What caused the initial confusion was a document described as a “Limitation Agreement” and an associated dollar amount—$6,367,139.69—tied to 57.5 BTC that was transferred on Nov. 3, 2025, regarding the Samourai issue. Separately, on-chain tracking showed the same 57.5 BTC deposited into Coinbase Prime, a pattern that could be consistent with the liquidation but “could not prove” the sale itself.
In the Samourai case, authorities arrested developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill in 2024, saying the service was run as an illegal money transfer business operated by criminals. The report in question focused on the BTC developers paying the Department of Justice as part of the lawsuit.
At press time, BTC traded at $89,915.
The featured image was created with DALL.E, a chart from TradingView.com
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