Congress Proposes Federal Crypto Theft Task Force After DOJ Disbanded Unit
In brief
- Congress introduced a bill creating a Federal Cryptocurrency Theft Task Force within the DOJ after disbanding its dedicated crypto enforcement unit in April 2025.
- Task force would coordinate investigations across DOJ, FBI, Homeland Security, and Treasury, focusing on theft and asset recovery rather than market regulation.
- FBI logged 181,565 cryptocurrency-related complaints and over $11 billion in losses in its 2025 Internet Crime Report.
Task Force Scope and Mandate
Representatives Lance Gooden and Josh Gottheimer introduced the Federal Cryptocurrency Theft Enforcement and Coordination Act, which would establish the task force as the primary federal coordination body for preventing, investigating, and prosecuting cryptocurrency theft. The bill names senior representatives from the DOJ, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Treasury as mandatory members.
The task force would develop best practices for evidence collection, analysis of seized digital evidence, investigative techniques, asset tracing, and victim engagement. It would also provide technical assistance, training, and guidance to state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
Notably, the bill keeps cryptocurrency and digital asset markets outside the task force's regulatory reach. The proposal focuses on crime and victim restitution, not market oversight.
Why Congress is acting now
The DOJ disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team in April 2025, part of a broader policy shift. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche characterized the move as ending "regulation by prosecution," signaling the administration's intention to focus prosecutors on individual criminal misuse rather than treating the industry itself as the enforcement target.
The timing matters. The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report logged 181,565 complaints involving cryptocurrency and more than $11 billion in reported losses. Total reported cyber-enabled losses approached $21 billion, underscoring the scale of the problem Congress is trying to address.
The bill attempts a middle path. It rebuilds federal coordination on theft and hacks without reopening the broader regulatory debate that's consumed Washington for the past two years. Whether the DOJ would prioritize the task force remains an open question.
