Justice Department seizes Huione cloud account in crypto laundering probe

The Justice Department seized a cloud computing account tied to Cambodia-based Huione Group, cutting off backend infrastructure used to move fraud proceeds into the legitimate banking system without detection.

Court documents show the seized account helped operate Huione Guarantee, also known as Haowang Guarantee, a Telegram-linked marketplace that hosted discussions about stolen credit card and identity information, malware-enabled theft proceeds, human trafficking-related procurement, and laundering services for romance and investment scams. The department said Huione subsidiaries helped transfer proceeds on cryptocurrency blockchains and convert them into ordinary financial channels, giving criminal actors a way to turn digital value into spendable money.

The seizure comes after a series of U.S. actions against the Cambodian group. FinCEN identified Huione Group as a financial institution of primary money laundering concern on May 1, 2025, and said the company laundered at least $4 billion in illicit proceeds between August 2021 and January 2025, including at least $37 million tied to North Korean cyber heists, at least $36 million from cryptocurrency investment scams, and $300 million from other cyber scams. FinCEN finalized its Huione rule on October 14, 2025, barring covered financial institutions from opening or maintaining correspondent accounts for Huione and from processing indirect transactions involving the group.

Treasury said Americans lost at least $10 billion to Southeast Asia-based scam operations in 2024, up 66% from the prior year, and more than $16.6 billion to online investment scams over the prior several years. Elliptic exposed Huione Guarantee in July 2024, said the marketplace processed more than $31 billion in cryptoasset transactions and that Huione Pay received at least $103 billion in cryptoasset payments over its lifetime. Elliptic said Huione Guarantee was the largest illicit online marketplace ever recorded, more than 25 times larger than Silk Road and AlphaBay combined.

On June 23, Treasury proposed expanding its Huione rule to include H-Pay Service PLC and successor entities. The FBI San Francisco Field Office seized infrastructure used by Huione Group to scam Americans.