One of the earliest and most closely watched crypto enforcement cases in the US has officially wrapped up.
The Department of Justice announced Thursday that it has finalized the forfeiture of more than $400 million in cryptocurrency and other assets linked to Helix, a now-defunct Bitcoin mixing service that operated during crypto’s early, more lawless days.
With a federal court order now in place, ownership of the seized assets has formally transferred to the US government, bringing years of legal proceedings to a close.
Helix and the Early Darknet Economy
Helix wasn’t just another crypto startup experimenting at the edges of innovation.
Between 2014 and 2017, the service functioned as a Bitcoin mixer, a tool designed to blur transaction trails and make it harder to trace where funds came from or where they were going.
According to prosecutors, that feature made Helix particularly attractive to darknet marketplaces, many of which relied on Bitcoin to move proceeds from illegal drug sales and other criminal activity without leaving an obvious trail.
The Man Behind the Mixer
Helix was operated by Larry Harmon, who also ran Grams, a darknet search engine that helped users navigate underground marketplaces.
Investigators say the two services worked hand in hand, making it easier for illicit platforms to operate at scale.
One of the key issues, authorities said, was Helix’s technical setup.
Its application programming interface allowed darknet markets to plug the mixer directly into their withdrawal systems, streamlining the laundering process and enabling massive volumes of Bitcoin to pass through unnoticed.
Hundreds of Thousands of Bitcoin Washed Through the System
The numbers involved were staggering, especially for the time.
The DOJ estimates that Helix processed at least 354,468 Bitcoin during its lifespan, worth roughly $300 million at the time those transactions took place.
Investigators were later able to trace tens of millions of dollars’ worth of funds directly from darknet markets into Helix, forming the backbone of the government’s case.
Years of Court Battles and a Final Order
Although Helix shut down years ago, the legal process moved slowly.
Harmon was arrested in February 2020 and eventually pleaded guilty in August 2021 to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
In November 2024, he was sentenced to three years in prison, with the court ordering him to forfeit assets valued at more than $400 million.
A January 21 order from the US District Court for the District of Columbia made that forfeiture official, transferring clear legal title of the crypto, real estate, and financial assets to the government.
Cooperation That Changed the Outcome
Harmon’s sentence was reduced after he agreed to cooperate with authorities.
That cooperation included testifying in the separate Bitcoin Fog case against Roman Sterlingov, another high-profile prosecution tied to crypto mixing services.
The DOJ has pointed to this cooperation as a factor in resolving multiple long-running investigations connected to early Bitcoin-era laundering operations.
Why the Case Still Matters Today
The Helix forfeiture highlights how long crypto-related enforcement actions can take, even when the underlying activity ended years earlier.
It also serves as a reminder that early assumptions about anonymity in Bitcoin didn’t hold up under sustained scrutiny from law enforcement.
As regulators and investigators continue to focus on mixers and privacy tools, the Helix case stands as a landmark moment—closing the book on one of the first major attempts to use Bitcoin at scale to hide criminal proceeds.
A Chapter Closed in Crypto’s Early History
With the forfeiture now finalized, one of the most significant darknet mixer cases in US history has officially reached its legal endpoint.
For the DOJ, it’s a clear signal that even crypto-era crimes from a decade ago can still catch up with those involved.
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