Summary
- The U.S. Department of Justice has seized a cloud computing account associated with Cambodia's Huione Group, described as "one of the world's most prolific criminal marketplaces."
- Prosecutors allege that this account was instrumental in operating Huione Guarantee, a Telegram platform facilitating the trade of stolen data and laundering services for scams in Southeast Asia.
- On the same day, FinCEN announced an extension of its ban on Huione to its successor, H-Pay Service PLC, to prevent evasion of U.S. restrictions.
U.S. officials have targeted the technological foundation of what they consider one of the most significant criminal marketplaces in cyberspace.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department revealed the seizure of a cloud computing account utilized by Huione Group's subsidiaries, a Cambodia-based company accused of laundering billions in funds derived from cryptocurrency investment fraud and cyber scams. Prosecutors stated that this account served as "backend infrastructure" for the group, enabling the movement and concealment of illicit funds before their conversion into the banking system without detection.
Today, the Justice Department announced the seizure of a cloud computing account used by subsidiaries of the Huione Group, a Cambodia-based corporate conglomerate.
“Today’s seizure strikes a blow against one of the world’s most prolific criminal marketplaces,” said @AAGDuva.… pic.twitter.com/p1bnoCgExB
— Criminal Division (@DOJCrimDiv) June 23, 2026
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Criminal Division remarked, "Today's seizure strikes a blow against one of the world's most prolific criminal marketplaces." He further explained that the account functioned as a "technological backbone that allowed billions in fraud proceeds to be transferred, moved, and concealed," largely originating from scam operations in Southeast Asia.
Documents from the court indicate that the account played a crucial role in running Huione Guarantee, also referred to as Haowang Guarantee, a marketplace on Telegram where vendors exchanged stolen credit card and identity information, proceeds from malware, and laundering services for various scams. It also provided escrow services to facilitate transactions in cryptocurrency for criminals, including money launderers.
Blockchain analysts have previously labeled Huione Guarantee as the largest illicit online marketplace ever, surpassing earlier dark-web platforms like Silk Road. In May 2025, Telegram removed its channels, leading to its closure, although new markets quickly sprang up to take its place.
This seizure is part of a broader crackdown on Huione that has unfolded over the past year. The Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final ruling last October, effectively severing Huione from the U.S. financial system as a "primary money laundering concern," citing its involvement in laundering crypto-fraud profits as well as funds from North Korean cyberattacks. On Tuesday, FinCEN announced plans to extend this ruling to include H-Pay Service PLC, a successor, to prevent the group from circumventing the ban.
Fraud related to cryptocurrency continues to rise sharply. In 2025, U.S. citizens reported
The investigation, led by the FBI's San Francisco field office and the IRS Criminal Investigation, is part of Operation Riptide, an FBI initiative aimed at dismantling the infrastructure supporting online fraud. The department acknowledged the contributions of blockchain analytics firms Chainalysis and Elliptic, along with Google's cybercrime team, in this effort.
Despite increasing pressure from law enforcement, Huione has shown resilience, launching its own stablecoin, USDH, and transferring operations to affiliated platforms in response to regulatory scrutiny.