The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture action to recover $584,741 in USDT that prosecutors say was controlled by Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian national accused of aiding Iran’s drone operations.
The action was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts in a press release, which says the funds were held in an unhosted crypto wallet linked to Abedini or his company, San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co., known as SDRA.
Seized funds and the company link
Federal filings state Abedini was indicted in December 2024 on charges of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Authorities say the seized crypto is part of efforts to cut off funding tied to weapons technology.
Court documents say the wallet held the USDT and that investigators traced it to Abedini or SDRA. The company makes the Sepehr Navigation System.
Prosecutors allege SDRA sold that system to the IRGC Aerospace Force. According to the filings, almost all of SDRA’s sales of Sepehr in 2021 and 2022 went to the IRGC.
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Connection to a deadly attack
Officials also tied the navigation system to an Iranian Shahed UAV recovered after a January 2024 attack in Jordan. That attack killed 3 U.S. service members and injured more than 40 people.
Prosecutors say the drone used navigation components developed by SDRA, a claim that underpins the forfeiture action and the earlier criminal complaint.
Detention and location
Italian authorities detained Abedini in December 2024. He was later released. U.S. officials currently believe he is in Iran.
The filings stress that the forfeiture complaint and the criminal charges are allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Who is handling the case?
The matter is being prosecuted by attorneys from the District of Massachusetts and by the Department of Justice National Security Division.
The DOJ statement cited U.S. law authorising forfeiture of assets used to support or fund terrorism against the United States or its citizens.
Bigger enforcement trends
Investigators say they are stepping up efforts to trace funds tied to dual-use technologies, especially when those technologies can be used in military systems.
The filings reflect a wider focus on digital asset transfers that may help move sensitive exports or payments to sanctioned groups. Enforcement agencies are also calling for closer work with overseas partners to monitor such transfers.
Pursuing suspects at a distance
Prosecutors said they will continue to pursue both forfeiture and criminal cases, even when suspects are outside U.S. reach.
The filing notes that digital assets do not erase the ability of law enforcement to seek recovery of funds that aided criminal or national security threats. International coordination, the complaint says, will be key to tracking and seizing assets.
Related DOJ action
Separately, the Justice Department is advancing a criminal fraud case against Braden Karony, the former CEO of the cryptocurrency project SafeMoon.
The announcement shows the agency is using both forfeiture tools and criminal charges in its broader work on crypto-related risks.
The forfeiture action aims to remove nearly $585,000 in digital funds that prosecutors say helped support an Iranian drone program tied to a deadly strike. The case links a specific firm and its navigation product to the IRGC and to a January 2024 incident that cost U.S. lives.
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