U.S. Marshals Defy Trump? $6.3M Bitcoin Sale Sparks "Shadow War" over Strategic Reserve
A major legal battle is brewing after reports surfaced that federal prosecutors liquidated over $6.3 million in Bitcoin—directly defying Executive Order 14233.
Signed by President Trump in March 2025, the order explicitly bans the sale of government-held Bitcoin, mandating its preservation in the newly formed U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Despite this, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) reportedly moved 57.5 BTC from the Samourai Wallet forfeiture case to Coinbase Prime for immediate sale.
Why it matters:
The Violation: EO 14233 was designed to turn the U.S. into a "Bitcoin Superpower" by stockpiling seized assets. This sale suggests some federal agencies may be acting in open
defiance of the White House.
The Target: The Bitcoin was forfeited by Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill, founders of the privacy-focused Samourai Wallet, who were sentenced in late 2025.
The Fallout: Critics are calling this an "act of institutional sabotage" against the Strategic Reserve, leading to calls for an immediate investigation into the Department of Justice.
Is this a bureaucratic oversight or a deliberate move to drain the Reserve before it can fully scale?
