Police have restrained more than $670,000 in assets, following the arrest of a Wellington-based man as part of an FBI investigation.
The man appeared in the Auckland District Court on Friday for his alleged involvement in an organised criminal group that stole cryptocurrency from seven victims valued at US$265 million (NZD$450M).
The Wellington High Court has now issued restraining orders under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 for assets valued at $670,000 including cash held in bank accounts, cash held in a lawyer’s trust account for the purchase of a property, cryptocurrency, and high value goods.
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners in the United States to recover assets alleged to have been stolen by the organised criminal group,” said Detective Inspector Christiaan Barnard.
An interim name suppression order remains in place.
