U.S. Justice Department have access to the Ulbricht’s bitcoin cache

[TiagoTiago]

Is the money evidence, or just the wallet and the blockchain?

[notme]

Is the money evidence, or just the wallet and the blockchain?

Regardless, it is seized property and can't be sold until the owner is convicted.

[FiatKiller]

Is the money evidence, or just the wallet and the blockchain?

Regardless, it is seized property and can't be sold until the owner is convicted.

But this is a strange case.
Maybe converting into USD and then holding the dollars till conviction is acceptable. How do they handle seized stocks
normally? Same would probably apply although there are physical stock certificates technically behind stocks.
Wallets are not physical property also...

[Minor Miner]

Is the money evidence, or just the wallet and the blockchain?

Regardless, it is seized property and can't be sold until the owner is convicted.

But this is a strange case.
Maybe converting into USD and then holding the dollars till conviction is acceptable. How do they handle seized stocks
normally? Same would probably apply although there are physical stock certificates technically behind stocks.
Wallets are not physical property also...

they FREEZE the stock account.   They do not actively trade the portfolio.   After conviction, someone comes in to make best use of the assets to repay the investors.   In this case, there are no investors so after conviction, the goods will be auctioned off in lots.   With this much money on the line, do not think that DPR is not going to have some GREAT lawyers lining up to help defend them.   And the greatest of lawyers take years to bring a case to trial.   Delay is their friend.

[FiatKiller]

Interesting, but again since there are not really "bitcoin laws" yet, maybe
they do not have to follow standard procedure.

[Asrael999]

Interesting, but again since there are not really "bitcoin laws" yet, maybe
they do not have to follow standard procedure.

Its property - and they don't have the power to change the form of any other property to USD.
They cannot sell a car for example as if found innocent they have to return it, the same applies here.