Congress Seeks to Rebuild a DOJ Crypto Crime Mechanism
ChainCatcher, citing CryptoSlate, reported that the US Congress is moving to rebuild a crypto crime task force within the Department of Justice. The development follows the DOJ’s April 2025 dissolution of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, along with its decision to end an “regulation by enforcement” approach toward the crypto industry.
The new bill was introduced by Representatives Lance Gooden and Josh Gottheimer. It proposes the creation of a federal cryptocurrency theft task force inside the DOJ. According to the bill, the task force would coordinate investigations and prosecutions involving crypto asset theft, hacking and fraud. Its stated focus is law enforcement coordination around criminal cases, rather than changing the broader regulatory treatment of the crypto market.
Mandate Centers on Evidence, Asset Tracing and Cross-Border Cases
The proposed task force would be responsible for developing best practices for evidence collection, digital evidence analysis, asset tracing and victim engagement. It would also provide technical assistance and training to state and local law enforcement agencies, giving those agencies support when handling cases involving cryptocurrency-related crimes.
The bill also assigns the task force a role in coordinating international cooperation for cross-border cases. Crypto asset theft, hacking and fraud investigations can involve multiple jurisdictions, and the bill includes international case coordination within the proposed group’s responsibilities.
At the same time, the legislation explicitly excludes cryptocurrency markets, financial institutions and financial products from the task force’s regulatory scope. It also states that the bill does not alter the existing regulatory framework or criminal law. An FBI report showed that complaints involving cryptocurrency reached 181,565 in 2025, with reported losses exceeding $11 billion.
The bill has not yet specified details on funding, staffing or victim response mechanisms. Those elements remain absent from the disclosed text described in the report.