A federal court in Washington D.C. has ordered the transfer of full ownership of $400 million worth of cryptocurrency, cash, and property seized from the Helix mixing service to the U.S. government. This action follows the sentencing of Helix operator Larry Dean Harmon. Helix was a Bitcoin mixing service widely used on the dark web to obscure the sources and destinations of cryptocurrency transactions. Between 2014 and 2017, approximately 354,468 Bitcoins—valued at around $300 million at the time—were routed through Helix, which was primarily designed to facilitate dark net drug markets and integrated directly with their payment systems. Harmon charged a fee for each transaction.
In August 2021, Harmon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and was sentenced in November 2024 to three years in prison. Subsequently, the seized assets were transferred to the government. Among the confiscated assets is a condominium in Ohio valued between $780,000 and $950,000, which will be auctioned by the federal revenue service. Additionally, $325,000 in cash and approximately 4,500 Bitcoins—currently valued near $355 million—were seized. Harmon also operated the dark net search engine “Grams,” which aided in locating illegal marketplaces, strengthening the financial infrastructure of the dark web during that period.
U.S. prosecutors have hailed this operation as a significant victory against dark net crime. Harmon was released early from prison in December 2025 following a drug rehabilitation program and has expressed intentions to restart a legitimate Bitcoin educational business.
Source: bitcoinmagazine
