The U.S. authorities has taken full authorized possession of greater than $400 million in seized cryptocurrency, money, and actual property tied to Helix, as soon as some of the extensively used bitcoin mixing providers on the darknet.
A federal choose in Washington, D.C., entered a ultimate order of forfeiture on Jan. 21, transferring the property to the federal government following the conviction of Helix operator Larry Dean Harmon. The forfeiture contains 1000’s of bitcoin, a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} in money, and an Ohio mansion bought through the peak of Helix’s operation.
Helix functioned as a cryptocurrency mixer, pooling and rerouting bitcoin transactions to obscure their origins and locations.
Prosecutors say the service was constructed to serve darknet drug markets and was immediately built-in into their withdrawal programs by way of an utility programming interface.
Courtroom information present Helix processed roughly 354,468 bitcoin between 2014 and 2017, value about $300 million on the time. Investigators traced tens of tens of millions of {dollars} from main darknet marketplaces by way of the service. Harmon took a reduce of every transaction as working charges.
Harmon pleaded responsible in August 2021 to conspiracy to commit cash laundering. After years of delays, he was sentenced in November 2024 to 3 years in jail, adopted by supervised launch. He was additionally ordered to forfeit seized property and pay a forfeiture cash judgment.
Authorities say Helix labored alongside Grams, a darknet search engine Harmon additionally operated, which helped customers find illicit marketplaces. Collectively, the providers fashioned a part of the monetary infrastructure underpinning darknet drug commerce throughout that interval.
Money, an Ohio mansion, and tens of millions of {dollars} in bitcoin
Among the many forfeited property is a 4,099-square-foot dwelling in Akron, Ohio, bought by Harmon and his spouse in 2016 for $680,000. Automated estimates place its present worth between $780,000 and $950,000, in keeping with reporting from Realtor.com.
The property sits on a 1.21-acre lot and contains a number of fireplaces, a yard hearth pit, and a whirlpool tub. Federal officers say the house will likely be bought at public sale by the Inner Income Service.
Along with the true property, prosecutors reportedly seized greater than $325,000 in money and roughly 4,500 bitcoin, in keeping with Realtor.com, now valued at roughly $355 million at present costs.
“This case reveals that the darknet shouldn’t be a protected haven for legal exercise,” U.S. Lawyer Jeanine Pirro mentioned in a press release, including that regulation enforcement will proceed to pursue cyber-enabled monetary crimes.
Harmon was reportedly launched from jail in December 2025 by way of an early launch program after finishing drug rehabilitation.
He has mentioned he plans to restart a reliable bitcoin schooling enterprise and is in search of new housing following the forfeiture.
