Did Someone Loot The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?

Key Points

1. The U.S. Marshal Service disclosed holding 28,988.35643016 bitcoins, far below the expected 200,000 coins, sparking concerns about the missing reserves.

2. U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis criticized the situation, calling it a 'total international race to stockpile hard digital money.'

3. Analysts traced at least 198,000 bitcoins to addresses linked to U.S. agencies like the FBI, DEA, and DOJ, but the discrepancy remains unexplained.

4. The U.S. Marshals Service outsourced custody and trading of digital assets to Coinbase Prime under a $32.5 million contract, raising questions about oversight.

5. Executive Order 14233 mandated a Treasury audit of the bitcoin reserves, but transparency and accountability issues persist, with calls for cryptographic validation of holdings.