According to ChainCatcher, citing CoinDesk, bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill on Thursday that would establish an interagency federal cryptocurrency theft task force under the leadership of the attorney general. The proposed task force would coordinate and lead investigations into cryptocurrency theft, fraud and hacking, placing related enforcement efforts within a more unified federal structure.
The bill was jointly introduced by Republican Representative Lance Gooden of the House Judiciary Committee and Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer of the House Financial Services Committee. Their sponsorship links the proposal to both judicial and financial services oversight areas, while also giving the measure a bipartisan profile in the House.
Under the bill, the task force would include multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security and the Treasury Department. The proposal is aimed at addressing the $11 billion in theft and fraud reported last year and at providing victims with a unified federal response mechanism. The measure frames cryptocurrency theft, fraud and hacking as an enforcement issue requiring coordination across several federal departments.