2020-11-04
The US government takes custody of 69,370 BTC in a single transaction.
On 3–4 November 2020, 69,370 BTC connected to the Silk Road marketplace — dormant since 2013 and long watched as one of the largest untouched fortunes on the chain — moved in a single transaction. Days later the US Department of Justice announced it had seized the coins from an unnamed hacker, “Individual X”, who had taken them from Silk Road years earlier.
The episode made the US government one of the largest known bitcoin holders, and made a broader point: the chain is radically transparent. A nine-figure move cannot happen quietly — which is exactly why SatsAtlas watches attributed treasury addresses on-chain.
the seized coins (69,370 BTC), at today’s live price
$4,447,657,550
vs ≈ $981,973,278 around the event (close $14,156, 2020-11-05)
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