DOJ Seizes $400M in Bitcoin From Darknet Mixer Helix

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DOJ Seizes $400 Million in Bitcoin From Darknet Mixer Helix

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: January 30, 2026

Key Takeaways

The DOJ seized over $400 million in assets linked to Helix, a Bitcoin mixer tied to darknet transactions from 2014 to 2017;
Helix operator Larry Harmon pled guilty to money laundering and was sentenced to 3 years in prison in 2024;
The case involved the FBI, IRS, and international cooperation with Belize to trace and recover crypto assets.

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DOJ Seizes $400 Million in Bitcoin From Darknet Mixer Helix

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The US Department of Justice completed the legal process to take control of more than $400 million in assets formerly tied to Helix, a Bitcoin BTC $82,202.32 mixing service once used on the darknet.

The Helix mixing operation ran from 2014 to 2017 and handled at least 354,468 Bitcoin and a transaction value of about $300 million at the time.

Federal agents identified Larry Dean Harmon as the individual who managed Helix. Following an investigation, Harmon admitted guilt to charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering in August 2021.

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A court handed down a three-year prison term in November 2024, followed by supervised release and a forfeiture order covering digital assets and other assets totaling more than $400 million, along with a legal judgment for $311,145,854.

The Helix platform was directly incorporated into Grams, a darknet search engine also built by Harmon. Through an API, darknet vendors could allow users to withdraw Bitcoin through Helix.

Investigators found multiple connections between crypto moved through Helix and darknet transactions.

Officials from the Department of Justice, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and FBI Cyber Division conducted the core investigation.

Efforts also involved international cooperation with authorities in Belize, who worked with the US Embassy and FinCEN to trace and recover assets.

The US Marshals Service recently launched an investigation into reports that more than $40 million in cryptocurrency was stolen from wallets under government control. How did the case unfold? Read the full story.