Florida Seizes $1.5M in Dogecoin, Pepe, Solana and Avalanche in Case Tied to Chinese National
Florida prosecutors have seized roughly $1.5 million in cryptocurrency after tracing funds from an alleged investment fraud complaint to a digital wallet authorities say is connected to Tu Weizhi, a Chinese national accused of money laundering and fraud.
According to filings and statements from the Florida Attorney General’s office, the seized wallet contained a mix of Dogecoin (DOGE), Pepe (PEPE), Solana (SOL), and Avalanche (AVAX). The state valued the combined holdings at about $1.5 million at the time of the seizure.
The case stems from a local complaint tied to an alleged investment scam. Investigators followed on-chain transaction trails that linked a victim’s losses to a broader pool of crypto assets held in the wallet authorities allege was controlled by Tu.
Rather than limiting recovery efforts to the amount tied directly to the reported loss, prosecutors sought and obtained a court order authorizing seizure of the full balance of the wallet, based on the state’s claim that the funds were connected to the criminal case.
Florida officials said Tu is believed to be in China and has been charged with money laundering, grand theft, and operating an organized scheme to defraud. A seizure warrant was filed in Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit to recover the wallet’s contents.
The seizure was carried out under Florida’s fugitive disentitlement provisions, which allow courts to move against assets tied to a criminal case when a defendant is outside the jurisdiction and does not appear in court. Under that framework, defendants may be prevented from challenging forfeitures without submitting to the court’s authority.
The action adds to a growing list of crypto-related fraud enforcement efforts in the U.S., including federal seizures in other cases that authorities say were tied to scams conducted through text messages and social media.
- Amount seized: About $1.5 million in crypto
- Assets named: DOGE, PEPE, SOL, AVAX
- Legal mechanism cited: Florida’s fugitive disentitlement statute
- Alleged suspect: Tu Weizhi, believed to be in China