poorbaldmonkey on Nostr: This is really no different from any other civil asset forfeiture (for anyone not ...
This is really no different from any other civil asset forfeiture (for anyone not familiar with US law, civil asset forfeiture, the government can any asset deemed to have been used in the commission of a crime... or not... there's a ton of corruption in these laws... and either use those assets for law enforcement purposes or sell them to fund law enforcement agencies and courts).
Since the US government doesn't formally recognize bitcoin as currency, they have to sell it or use it for investigations. In this case, it looks like they're selling it to raise fiat for government agencies. It could be more nefarious, but, honestly, they are more likely just trying to get more dollars.
Depending on the jurisdiction that formally holds this bitcoin, they may even be legally required to sell this bitcoin.
Now, do they have other motives? Maybe. I wouldn't put it passed them. But, in my experience, the US Federal Government is incredibly incompetent most of the time. Even the intelligent people who work in the government struggle to do anything due to layer on top of layer of rules and statutes. They often find themselves confused about how to change or overrule their own rules that they created for themselves.
Since the US government doesn't formally recognize bitcoin as currency, they have to sell it or use it for investigations. In this case, it looks like they're selling it to raise fiat for government agencies. It could be more nefarious, but, honestly, they are more likely just trying to get more dollars.
Depending on the jurisdiction that formally holds this bitcoin, they may even be legally required to sell this bitcoin.
Now, do they have other motives? Maybe. I wouldn't put it passed them. But, in my experience, the US Federal Government is incredibly incompetent most of the time. Even the intelligent people who work in the government struggle to do anything due to layer on top of layer of rules and statutes. They often find themselves confused about how to change or overrule their own rules that they created for themselves.