BITCOIN SEASON 2: The US Government Is Hiding Its Bitcoin Stash
Investigative journalism reveals US Marshals hold only 29K Bitcoin, not 200K as widely believed. We explore the difference between seized vs forfeited assets and why government Bitcoin tracking is so confusing.
Jul 19, 2025
Listen or watch all the new CoinDesk podcast episodes wherever you want.
ABOUT
Charlie and Colin dive deep into investigative journalism that reveals the US government's Bitcoin holdings are far more complex than anyone realized. After a $10K bounty led to a FOIA request, we discovered the US Marshals Service holds just 29,000 Bitcoin - not the 200,000 widely reported. We explore seized vs forfeited assets, government custody practices, and why Senator Lummis got it wrong.
Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com
**Notes:**
• US Marshals hold 29,000 Bitcoin worth $3.4B
• Arkham shows 198,000 Bitcoin for US government
• US sold 195,000 Bitcoin for $366.5M total
• Bitfinex hack involved 94,000 seized Bitcoin
• Government peak holdings: 237K Bitcoin (2022)
• $10K bounty offered for Marshal data
Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:47 Lola investigates
05:27 29k BTC
11:03 Politicians enter the chat
17:47 Government custody providers
-
👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech!
Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here.
Questions or want to sponsor? [email protected]
EPISODES
The Blockspace Pod: Quantum: The Next Battleground For Bitcoin
Is Bitcoin quantum ready or is it just more FUD? We dive into the technical and social battles between developers and...
10 hours ago
The Blockspace Pod: Bitcoin Craters, French Gov't Challenge MARA Acquisition, Cipher's Note Sees $13B But Interest
Bitcoin nukes to $65k as the industry faces a historic selloff. We cover a massive 13% difficulty drop, France’s push...
Feb 6, 2026
Patrick Witt says 'let's not let perfect be the enemy of good' in stablecoin standoff
Feb 3, 2026
COINDESK SERIES
0 EPISODE
The Mining Pod
Feb 10, 2025
1419 EPISODES
CoinDesk Podcast Network
The top stories and best shows in the blockchain world, delivered daily from the team at CoinDesk.
Dec 20, 2023
1361 EPISODES
Markets Outlook
Tune in as CoinDesk runs down action in the crypto market and some of the most important recent industry development.
Dec 19, 2023
0 EPISODE
Unchained
Unchained, your no hype resource for all things crypto by former Forbes senior editor Laura Shin, author of The Cryptopians.
Dec 18, 2023
