Hacker returns $19 million to US government address

Key Takeaways

• $19 million in cryptocurrencies, including ETH and aUSDC, was returned to a US government address.
• The transaction did not include funds transferred to crypto exchanges.

A hacker who allegedly stole around $20 million worth of crypto assets from the US government just returned around $19 million to the government’s compromised address, according to blockchain sleuth ZachXBT.

The transaction, made earlier today, involved the transfer of 2,408 ETH and 13.19 million aUSDC back to the government’s digital wallet. The restitution did not account for any funds that may have been moved to crypto exchanges such as Switchain or HitBTC.

On Thursday, a wallet believed to be controlled by US authorities was hacked, resulting in the theft of approximately $20 million in crypto assets. The compromised wallet was linked to assets previously seized in the infamous Bitfinex hack.

According to reports from blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, the stolen funds included various stablecoins such as aUSDC, USDT, and USDC, as well as Ethereum (ETH).

The hacker reportedly transferred the stolen assets to a new wallet address and began laundering the proceeds through suspicious transactions. Blockchain investigators noted that the funds were moved from decentralized lending platforms like Aave before being sent to the attacker’s wallet.

This is a developing story.