FBI seizes $250k from crypto scammer previously investigated by on-chain sleuth

• The FBI recently revealed that it had seized $250k worth of assets belonging to a crypto scammer.
• Popular on-chain sleuth ZachXBT uncovered the scammer’s identity.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized more than a quarter million worth of assets belonging to a crypto scammer known as Chase Senecal. News of the seizure came over four months after popular on-chain sleuth ZachXBT revealed Senecal’s identity. This happened after the former conducted an extensive investigation of his scams. 

ETH, NFTs and luxury watch seized by the FBI

According to the official notification posted by the FBI on 4 February, Chase Senecal’s luxury watch and crypto assets were seized back in October 2022 from Brunswick, Maine. The seized assets include an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, valued at $41,000, and 86.5 Ethereum [ETH] worth more than $116,000 at the time of seizure. The FBI also seized a Doodle Non-Fungible Token [NFT] valued at $9,361 and a Bored Ape Yacht Club [BAYC] NFT valued at $95,495. 

The total value of the assets seized by the FBI exceeded $250,000. As per the notification of the bureau, Chase Senecal has until 4 April to request release of his property. Details of the proceedings that have taken place against Senecal were unclear at press time. 

In a Twitter thread on 3 February, on-chain sleuth ZachXBT claimed that his investigation into Senecal’s scams contributed to the FBI’s seizure. Chase Senecal, better known as Horror (HZ), was allegedly responsible for taking over several accounts using a Twitter panel. The accounts include @Zeneca, @ezu_xyz, and @deekaymotion, among several others.  

1/ I am very happy to share the FBI seized crypto, BAYC 9658, AP watch, and Doodle 3114 from the phishing scammer known as Horror (HZ) aka Chase Senecal as a result of my thread. pic.twitter.com/H1JjOjQNuF

— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) February 3, 2023

Reportedly, the crypto scammer paid hefty amounts for unauthorized access to the Twitter accounts of popular crypto projects. He followed this up by directing the payments to said projects. Senecal’s identity was revealed after ZachXBT caught him flexing the luxury watch that was seized by the FBI in October.