US lawmakers seek coordinated federal response to crypto theft and scams

US lawmakers have introduced legislation that would create a Department of Justice-led task force to coordinate investigations into cryptocurrency theft, scams and other digital asset-related crimes across federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Under the proposal, the Justice Department would serve as the primary federal coordinator for cryptocurrency theft investigations, bringing together agencies including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

The bill introduced by Republican Representative Lance Gooden and his Democratic House colleague Josh Gottheimer directs the task force to develop best practices for evidence collection, blockchain forensics, asset tracing and victim support. It would also provide training and technical assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies.

According to the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, Americans reported more than $11 billion in crypto-related losses last year.

Source: Gooden.house.gov

The task force would coordinate with international law enforcement agencies on cross-border investigations and submit annual reports to Congress on emerging threats, enforcement challenges and potential policy recommendations.

The bill specifies that it would not authorize new regulation of cryptocurrency markets, expand the authority of federal agencies or create new criminal offenses, instead focusing on coordination among agencies already responsible for investigating financial crimes.

Crypto investigators turn to AI-powered analytics

The proposed task force comes as blockchain intelligence firms increasingly deploy artificial intelligence tools designed to help investigators trace stolen funds, identify illicit activity and analyze complex transaction flows across digital asset networks.

In March, TRM Labs launched Co-Case Agent, an AI investigative assistant for crypto crime and compliance teams. The company said the tool can trace fund flows, audit blockchain transaction graphs and suggest investigative steps from natural language prompts.

Source: TRMLabs

Chainalysis announced similar blockchain intelligence agents later that month, saying the tools would be rolled out over the summer for investigations and compliance. The company said the agents were designed to help users trace funds and gather intelligence as crypto criminals increasingly use AI to scale their operations.

The growing focus on investigative tools comes as crypto-related exploits continue to generate significant losses. According to DeFiLlama, hackers stole roughly $630 million in April alone, marking the industry’s largest monthly loss total since February 2025.

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