Tether-led crime unit freezes $100M in criminal crypto assets

The T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), a collaboration between Tether (CRYPTO:USDT), Tron (CRYPTO:TRX), and TRM Labs, has reached a major milestone in its efforts to combat cryptocurrency-related financial crimes.

As of January 2, 2025, the unit has successfully frozen over $100 million in criminal assets globally.

Launched in August 2024, the T3 FCU has worked with law enforcement agencies worldwide to address cases of money laundering, investment fraud, blackmail operations, terrorism financing, and other serious financial crimes.

Tether’s CEO, Paolo Ardoino, emphasised the company’s role in ensuring that stablecoins like USDT are not used for illegal activities.

“By working closely with authorities across jurisdictions, Tether has been instrumental in freezing criminal assets,” he said.

“Criminals now have 100 million reasons to think twice before using TRON.” added Justin Sun, founder of the Tron network.

“If you’re using USDT on TRON for crime, you will be caught,” he also stated that the T3 FCU’s success sends a clear message.

Since its inception, the T3 FCU has analyzed millions of transactions across five continents, monitoring over $3 billion in USDT volume.

Chris Janczewski, head of global investigations at TRM Labs, highlighted that surpassing $100 million in frozen assets is only the beginning. He noted that as more lawful users enter the crypto ecosystem, the focus on maintaining security will remain crucial.

Despite these achievements, Tether faces increasing regulatory challenges in Europe.

The activation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations has raised uncertainty about USDT’s status on exchanges within the European Union.

However, Ardoino dismissed these concerns, claiming the firm remains confident in its compliance and its future in the crypto space.

At the time of reporting, the Tether (USDT) price was $0.9995.