T3 Financial Crime Unit Marks Enforcement Victory: $100 Million in Criminal Assets Frozen Across Five Continents

January 2, 2024 — The T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), a collaboration between TRON, Tether, and TRM Labs, has frozen more than USD 100 million in criminal assets globally, passing a significant milestone in its fight against cryptocurrency-related financial crime.

Launched in August 2024, T3 FCU has rapidly emerged as a model for public-private partnership in blockchain security, working directly with law enforcement agencies worldwide to identify and disrupt criminal networks. The unit has worked closely with global law enforcement agencies to successfully intervene in cases involving money laundering, investment fraud, blackmail operations, terrorism financing, and other serious financial crimes.

"Criminals now have 100 million reasons to think twice before using TRON," said Justin Sun, founder of the TRON blockchain. "T3 FCU's rapid success in freezing criminal assets sends an unmistakable message: if you're using USDT on TRON for crime, you will be caught."

The unit has already analyzed millions of transactions across five continents, monitoring over USDT 3 billion in total volume. This comprehensive monitoring capability enables T3 FCU to work across borders to identify and disrupt criminal operations in real-time, making it an invaluable resource for law enforcement agencies worldwide.

"Tether is deeply committed to maintaining the integrity of the financial ecosystem by proactively collaborating with global law enforcement agencies,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “By working closely with authorities across jurisdictions, Tether has been instrumental in freezing criminal assets and ensuring that bad actors do not exploit stablecoins like USDT. Alongside our T3 collaborators, we’ve demonstrated the transformative power of collaboration in setting new standards for transparency, security, and accountability in the digital asset space.”

“T3 FCU’s ability to work closely with law enforcement worldwide to effectively disrupt cybercriminals from using USDT on TRON is a proof of concept for public-private partnerships,” said Chris Janczewski, head of global investigations at TRM Labs. “Surpassing USDT 100 million in frozen assets is just the beginning. In 2025 and beyond, as more and more lawful users enter the growing crypto ecosystem, it is more important than ever to keep it safe. T3 is dedicated to that mission.”

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About TRON

TRON DAO is a community-governed DAO dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and dApps.

Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON network has continued to deliver impressive achievements since MainNet launch in May 2018. July 2018 also marked the integration of BitTorrent, a pioneer in decentralized Web3 services boasting over 100 million monthly active users. The TRON network has gained incredible traction in recent years. As of December 2024, it has over 277 million total user accounts on the blockchain, more than 9.1 billion total transactions, and over $24.6 billion in total value locked (TVL), as reported on TRONSCAN.

In addition, TRON hosts the largest circulating supply of USD Tether (USDT) stablecoin across the globe, overtaking USDT on Ethereum since April 2021. The TRON network completed full decentralization in December 2021 and is now a community-governed DAO. Most recently in October 2022, TRON was designated as the national blockchain for the Commonwealth of Dominica, which marks the first time a major public blockchain partnered with a sovereign nation to develop its national blockchain infrastructure. On top of the government’s endorsement to issue Dominica Coin (“DMC”), a blockchain-based fan token to help promote Dominica’s global fanfare, seven existing TRON-based tokens - TRX, BTT, NFT, JST, USDD, USDT, TUSD, have been granted statutory status as authorized digital currency and medium of exchange in the country.‍

Media contact: Yeweon Park | press@tron.network

About Tether

Tether is a pioneer in the field of stablecoin technology, driven by an aim to revolutionize the global financial landscape. With a mission to provide accessible and efficient financial, communication, artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure. Tether enables greater financial inclusion, and communication resilience, fosters economic growth, and empowers individuals and businesses alike.

As the creator of the largest, most transparent, and liquid stablecoin in the industry, Tether is dedicated to building sustainable and resilient infrastructure for the benefit of underserved communities. By leveraging cutting-edge blockchain and peer-to-peer technology, it is committed to bridging the gap between traditional financial systems and the potential of decentralized finance.

‍Media contact: press@tether.to

About TRM Labs

TRM Labs provides blockchain intelligence to help law enforcement and national security agencies, financial institutions, and cryptocurrency businesses detect, investigate, and disrupt crypto-related fraud and financial crime. TRM’s Blockchain Intelligence platform includes solutions to follow the money, identify illicit activity, build cases, and construct an operating picture of threats. TRM is trusted by a growing number of leading agencies worldwide who rely on TRM for their blockchain intelligence needs. TRM is based in San Francisco, CA, and is hiring across engineering, product, sales, and data science. To learn more, visit www.trmlabs.com.

‍Media contact: press@trmlabs.com