Arizona lawmaker David Schweikert introduced “The Scam Farms Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025” in August. This legislation proposes neo-privateers — state-sanctioned pirates — to target cybercriminals threatening the United States.
The bill empowers the US president to issue letters of marque to “privately armed and equipped persons” contracted by the government to “employ all means reasonably necessary” to seize property and detain or “punish” cybercriminals identified as threats by the president.
Included among these threats are crypto theft, pig butchering scams, ransomware attacks, identity theft, unauthorized computer access to collect sensitive personal or classified data, online password trafficking, and the infiltration of computers with malicious software. The bill stated:
“Criminal enterprises that employ cybercrimes and coerced labor present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the economic and national security of the United States.”
The bill categorizes these scams as “acts of war” carried out by individuals, organized crime, and foreign governments against the US, reviving an 18th-century law that could significantly impact the future of cybersecurity and asset confiscation if enacted.
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US could funnel seized assets into Bitcoin reserve and national crypto stockpile
In July, over $142 million in crypto was lost to hackers, bringing the total amount of crypto stolen in 2025 to over $3 billion. Crypto seized by US law enforcement during investigations may later be forfeited to the government in court proceedings.
In January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a Bitcoin and crypto reserve, allowing the accumulation of crypto only through budget-neutral strategies or asset forfeiture.
The US federal government filed a civil complaint in July to claim over 20 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at over $2.3 million, which was seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during an operation against the Chaos ransomware hacking group.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) also seized $1 million in crypto from the BlackSuit ransomware group that same month.
In August, the DOJ authorized the seizure of $2.8 million in crypto from a wallet controlled by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, who was charged with launching ransomware attacks on individuals and businesses.
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