Trump's Bitcoin Reserve Policy Faces "Decapitation Operation": NY Prosecutors Publicly Sell Seized BTC, 57 Bitcoins Tear Open U.S. Administrative System Rift

On January 6, 2026, a explosive news quickly spread through the crypto community: The U.S. Department of Justice may have secretly sold 57.55 Bitcoins worth approximately $6.3 million confiscated from the developer of Samourai Wallet via the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). This seemingly routine asset disposal sharply hits the most sensitive nerve of Trump's "Bitcoin Strategic Reserve" policy—according to Executive Order No. 14233 signed by Trump on March 6, 2025, all Bitcoins obtained through criminal or civil forfeiture must be incorporated into the national strategic reserve, with a clear stipulation that "they shall not be sold."

Is this a simple procedural mistake, or a blatant defiance of the White House by the judicial system? When on-chain tracking shows that this Bitcoin was transferred into a Coinbase Prime address on November 3, 2025, and the balance then went to zero, an underground battle over "who is the real decision-maker" surfaced.

Event Reconstruction: The "Disappearance" Path of 57.55 Bitcoins

The story begins with the guilty plea agreement of Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill. Both agreed to forfeit approximately $6.3 million worth of Bitcoin, which was transferred out of the relevant address on November 3, 2025. According to the "Asset Liquidation Agreement" obtained by Bitcoin Magazine, these Bitcoins did not enter the designated treasury account of the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR), but directly flowed into the Coinbase Prime wallet address 3Lz5ULL7nG7vv6nwc8kNnbjDmSnawKS3n8.

On-chain data clearly shows this transfer, but subsequent actions have sparked controversy. Analysts supporting the "Already Sold" argument point out that the Coinbase Prime address balance has been zeroed out, consistent with "funds transferred after sale." However, cautious researchers believe this is merely Coinbase Prime's standard custodial process, where funds are consolidated into a cluster of thousands of addresses for internal settlement and accounting, making it impossible on the blockchain to prove that assets have left Coinbase-controlled infrastructure.

The key point: BTC/USD conversions on Coinbase Prime are usually done off-chain. This means that even if the sale is completed, there may be no on-chain trace. To confirm whether it violated regulations, one would need to review court forfeiture orders, asset management records of the U.S. Marshals, or Coinbase transaction execution documents—these are the "black boxes" inaccessible to the public.

Legal Gray Area: How Strong Is the Binding Force of the Executive Order?

Executive Order No. 14233 explicitly states that "the government Bitcoin" must be held and not sold. However, legal experts point out that the order does not explicitly revoke prosecutors' discretion in asset disposal. Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 982(a)(1), grants the Department of Justice the authority to seize property but does not mandate "liquidation."

This is the "gap" that SDNY (Southern District of New York) might have found: While the executive order reflects the president's will, prosecutors can assert their independence, arguing that case-specific disposal should follow judicial tradition—historically, forfeited assets are quickly liquidated to avoid price volatility risks. An unnamed DOJ official told the media: "SDNY has always regarded Bitcoin as a 'taboo asset' and is eager to clean it before it enters the system."

Deeper contradictions stem from the fact that the investigation of the Samourai case began during the Biden administration, when the DOJ held a strong hostility toward non-custodial crypto tools. Although Trump appointed crypto-friendly officials after taking office, the inertia of grassroots prosecutors' thinking has not shifted accordingly. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche explicitly ordered a halt to "witch hunts" against non-custodial wallets on April 7, 2025, but SDNY not only continued to pursue the Samourai lawsuit but also persisted in the case against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.

When senior FinCEN officials hinted that Samourai's non-custodial nature did not qualify as a remittance institution, SDNY remained steadfast. This "disobedience" reveals the difficulty of implementing new policies within the vast federal bureaucratic system.

"New York Sovereign Zone": Deep State's Crypto War

SDNY is known as the "New York Sovereign Zone" within the U.S. judicial system, famous for its independence, toughness, and even rebellious style. This is not its first challenge to Washington authority. In 2025, when the Trump administration announced easing crypto regulations, SDNY still prosecuted several old cases, earning the nickname "the last bastion of the deep state."

Industry insiders point out that the "disappearance" of these 57.55 Bitcoins is essentially a direct confrontation between administrative power and judicial bureaucracy. Although Trump was president, he could not directly command prosecutors' specific case handling. SDNY exercised discretion through "legitimate inertia," neither openly illegal nor deliberately undermining the White House's policies.

This "soft resistance" risks destroying market confidence in "policy consistency." If even the presidential executive order cannot ensure confiscated assets enter the strategic reserve, Trump's "200,000 Bitcoin Reserve Plan" becomes empty talk. Ironically, while the DOJ is "squandering" these 57 BTC, the U.S. government has confiscated 127,000 BTC (about $1.41 billion) in another case and explicitly stated it would be included in the strategic reserve. Two standards from the same government confuse the market.

Political Game: Trump's Dilemma Moving Forward

The incident puts Trump in a dilemma. On one hand, he is considering pardoning Rodriguez to demonstrate support for non-custodial technology; on the other hand, his subordinate agencies are selling Bitcoin that should belong to the state, contrary to his will. If Trump chooses to ignore this, his "Bitcoin President" persona will be severely damaged; if he orders an investigation or even sanctions SDNY, it could trigger constitutional disputes over executive interference in judicial independence.

After the news broke, the White House issued a statement saying "they are verifying the situation," without directly condemning SDNY. This ambiguous stance reflects that, in the face of the vast federal machinery, the president's will is not always unimpeded. The so-called "deep state" is not a conspiracy theory but a collective of tens of thousands of civil servants with their own interests and thinking habits.

Truth Analysis: Sale vs Custody, Who Decides?

The current debate centers on the interpretation of on-chain evidence.

Those claiming the assets have been sold point out:

• Zero balance in the address is conclusive evidence

• The name of the "Asset Liquidation Agreement" itself implies an intent to sell

• SDNY has a history of quick liquidation practices

The cautious side emphasizes:

• Transferring to Coinbase Prime is only the first step in custodial process

• No on-chain transaction records show funds leaving Coinbase

• Waiting for quarterly asset reports from the U.S. Marshals is necessary for confirmation

CryptoQuant's research director notes that Coinbase Prime's off-chain trading mechanism makes it difficult to fully verify the truth through on-chain data. This exposes the transparency flaws when applying traditional judicial procedures to crypto assets.

Impact Assessment: Strategic Reserve Plan Faces "Decapitation"

Regardless of whether these 57.55 BTC were truly sold, the event has already caused profound effects:

1. Policy credibility damage: markets begin to doubt whether Trump can enforce his crypto policies

2. Judicial sovereignty controversy: SDNY's actions set a "precedent" for other federal prosecutors, potentially triggering chain reactions

3. Investor confidence shaken: if the government itself does not adhere to the "no sale of Bitcoin" principle, how can it convince the market of the sincerity of the strategic reserve?

More severely, in 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice will handle several major crypto cases involving hundreds of thousands of Bitcoins. If each case is subject to prosecutor discretion, Trump's reserve plan will face "ant-like" erosion.

Conclusion: The Bitcoin War Is Far From Over

Trump's "Bitcoin Strategic Reserve" concept, from campaign promise to executive order, should have been a milestone in U.S. crypto policy. But SDNY's "small moves" reveal a brutal truth: in the face of the vast federal bureaucratic system, the president's will may be just a piece of paper.

The disappearance of these 57 Bitcoins not only involves assets but also erodes market confidence in policy consistency. It warns all crypto supporters: a change of White House does not mean victory in the war; resistance from the deep state continues.

For investors, this is more important than any technical indicator—when the government itself has "strategic reserve" and "quick liquidation" double standards, the narrative of Bitcoin as "digital gold" still involves a long game at the institutional level.

【On-Chain Thought Question】

Do you think SDNY's actions are:

A. Lawful exercise of prosecutor discretion, president should not interfere in justice

B. Open defiance of executive order, damaging national strategic reserve plan

C. Normal custodial transfer, over-interpreted by media

✍️ Leave your choice + legal interpretation in the comments

👉 Like + Share to let the crypto community see the true internal battles in Washington

🔔 Follow us for weekly deep dives into policy and on-chain data intersections

📤 Share with your investment community to discuss whether "government holdings" are trustworthy

Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available documents and on-chain data analysis and does not constitute legal or investment advice. The transparency of internal procedures of the U.S. government is limited; some conclusions are reasonable speculations.

#Meme币板块回暖 $BTC