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National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team

National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team

The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) was established in February 2022 to address the challenge posed by the criminal misuse of cryptocurrencies and digital assets.  The team is comprised of attorneys from across the Department, including prosecutors with backgrounds in cryptocurrency, cybercrime, money laundering and forfeiture.  Working in close collaboration with components across the Department, including the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; the U.S. Attorneys’ offices; the National Security Division; and the FBI, including the FBI’s Virtual Asset Exploitation Unit, the NCET works to identify, investigate, support and pursue the department’s cases involving the criminal use of digital assets, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, infrastructure providers, and other entities that are enabling the misuse of cryptocurrency and related technologies to commit or facilitate criminal activity, and individuals who use these technologies to defraud the public.

The NCET sets strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identifies areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and leads the department’s efforts to coordinate with domestic and international law enforcement partners, regulatory agencies and private industry to combat the criminal use of digital assets. Finally, the NCET enhances the Criminal Division’s existing efforts to provide support and training to federal, state, local, and international law enforcement to build capacity to aggressively investigate and prosecute serious crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets in the United States and around the world.