Senator Cynthia Ramis issued an alarm this week after the Freedom of Information Act response showed that former US s-services own just 28,988 BTC. She warned that offloading more than 80% of the government’s Bitcoin Stash would be a “strategic flaw.”
Based on the report, the figures raised concerns that the US sold on a large scale, dropping from around 198,012 BTC at the beginning of the year to below 30,000 BTC overnight.
Bitcoin custody confusion
According to the FOIA response, USMS oversees the supervisor who seized and confiscated cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. The reported number (29,000 btc) only reflects coins officially handed over to that agent for auction.
I am wary of reports that the US has sold more than 80% of its Bitcoin Reserve.
If true, this is a complete strategic blunder and will return the US in Bitcoin races. https://t.co/ciyf1uhy0x
– Senator Cynthia Ramis (@senlummis) July 16, 2025
Other departments of law enforcement still have a large amount of Bitcoin in a “secapted” status that has pending judicial decisions. These coins are not part of USMS tally.
The estimates for Arkham Intelligence and Public Wallet Trackers are still managed by the federal government, worth around $23.5 billion at current prices. On-chain evidence does not suggest that the US sold its reserves. Instead, the coins are held in various wallets of multiple institutions.
On-chain data draws another picture
Records on the chain show that total federal Bitcoin holdings have been moving very little this year. The first 198,012 BTC figures came from crime and civil confiscation. Once the attack is confiscated, the assets will shift to USMS custody.
Until then, they will remain off-book for their agency. The split explains why one report cited 29,000 BTC, while another report cites total holdings at around 200,000 BTC.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year, dictating that the confiscated Bitcoin will be held in strategic reserves. He also asked the Commerce and Treasury to find ways to add it to the stash without spending extra money on taxpayers.
Enhanced Cryptographic Portfolio
Beyond Bitcoin, the government owns other digital assets as part of its cryptocurrency portfolio. I have a 347 million USDT stub coin on hand. There is 59,951 ETH, which is worth around $222 million.
Okay, everyone in me. As we all have panties while cuddled with our “Bitcoin sales”, we want to warn you of the fact that IDs differ between *secured assets* and *confiscated assets*.
USMS is primarily responsible for *forfeiture assets*.
-L0LA l33tz (@l0lal33tz) July 16, 2025
The government also maintains 750 WBTC, nearly $89 million and worth 40,293 bnbs, totaling around $29 million. These figures push the overall crypto portfolio to approximately $24.25 billion in market value.
A journalist who goes by the name “Lola L33TZ” has submitted a FOIA request. She stressed that seeing 29,000 BTC in the USMS report does not mean that the coins were sold.
She made it clear that she seized assets that were still held by the FBI or other agencies and would not appear in USMS custody until the court confiscates them.
Pixabay featured images, TradingView chart
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