美国政府保留扣押比特币的权利

此案围绕丝绸之路关闭后美国政府发起的民事没收诉讼。

The United States Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Battle Born Investments over the forfeiture of 69,370 bitcoins originally linked to the Silk Road darknet marketplace.

美国最高法院拒绝审理 Battle Born Investments 就最初与丝绸之路暗网市场相关的 69,370 枚比特币被没收提出的上诉。

The decision, listed under “CERTIORARI DENIED” in the Supreme Court’s October 7 publication, effectively allows the US government to seize and potentially sell the Bitcoins, currently valued at approximately $4.4 billion.

该裁决列在最高法院 10 月 7 日出版物中的“CERTIORARI DENIED”项下，实际上允许美国政府扣押并可能出售目前价值约 44 亿美元的比特币。

The case revolves around a civil forfeiture action initiated by the US government following the shutdown of Silk Road. Battle Born Investments claimed legal ownership of the Bitcoins, asserting that in March 2018, they had entered into an agreement to purchase assets—including the Bitcoins in the “1HQ3” wallet—from the Chapter 7 bankruptcy estate of Raymond Ngan. They alleged that these assets were tied to an individual known as “Individual X,” who had stolen the bitcoins from Silk Road and was associated with Ngan.

此案围绕丝绸之路关闭后美国政府发起的民事没收诉讼。 Battle Born Investments 声称拥有这些比特币的合法所有权，声称他们于 2018 年 3 月签订了一项协议，从 Raymond Ngan 的第七章破产财产中购买资产，包括“1HQ3”钱包中的比特币。他们声称这些资产与一个名为“X 个人”的人有关，该人从 Silk Road 窃取了比特币，并与 Ngan 有关联。

However, US authorities contested Battle Born’s claims, maintaining that the Bitcoins were subject to forfeiture due to their connection with illegal activities on Silk Road. In 2022, the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of the government, ordering that it should “dispose of the defendant’s seized property in accordance with the law.”

然而，美国当局对 Battle Born 的主张提出质疑，坚称这些比特币因与丝绸之路上的非法活动有关而被没收。 2022年，美国加州北区地方法院做出了有利于政府的裁决，责令政府“依法处置被告扣押的财产”。

Battle Born Investments appealed the decision, but on August 18, 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s ruling. The appellate court determined that Battle Born “did not have standing to challenge the forfeiture,” stating that their claims were speculative and lacked substantial evidence to establish direct ownership of the Bitcoins.

Battle Born Investments 对裁决提出上诉，但 2023 年 8 月 18 日，第九巡回上诉法院维持了下级法院的裁决。上诉法院裁定 Battle Born“没有资格对没收提出质疑”，并指出他们的主张是推测性的，并且缺乏实质性证据来证明对比特币的直接所有权。

Following the appellate court’s decision, Battle Born sought a rehearing en banc, which was denied on December 12, 2023. Persisting in their legal efforts, they filed a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, arguing that the lower courts had erred in their interpretation of their standing and ownership claims.

在上诉法院做出裁决后，Battle Born 寻求全体法官重审，但于 2023 年 12 月 12 日被拒绝。他们坚持法律努力，于 2024 年 4 月 25 日向最高法院提交调卷令状请愿书，辩称：下级法院对其地位和所有权主张的解释是错误的。

The Supreme Court’s refusal to review the case effectively upholds the decisions of the lower courts. By denying the petition, the Supreme Court confirms that Battle Born Investments lacks the necessary standing to contest the forfeiture of the Bitcoins. This outcome moves the 69,370 BTC from a seized status to a forfeited and sellable asset, granting the US government the authority to “dispose of the defendant’s seized property in accordance with the law.”

最高法院拒绝复审该案实际上维持了下级法院的判决。通过驳回请愿书，最高法院确认 Battle Born Investments 缺乏必要的地位来对抗没收比特币。这一结果将 69,370 BTC 从扣押状态转变为没收和可出售资产，赋予美国政府“依法处置被告扣押财产”的权力。

The government’s position, supported by filings from the US Department of Justice, emphasized that “mere claims of ownership, without substantial evidence, are insufficient for establishing standing in civil forfeiture cases.” The courts agreed, highlighting the need for concrete evidence tying the claimed assets directly to Battle Born.

政府的立场得到了美国司法部文件的支持，强调“在没有实质性证据的情况下，仅仅声称所有权，不足以在民事没收案件中确立地位。”法院同意了，并强调需要有具体证据将所主张的资产直接与《Battle Born》联系起来。

The potential sale of 69,370 BTC by the US government could have significant implications for the market. Valued at approximately $4.4 billion at current prices, the liquidation of such a large amount of Bitcoin could influence market dynamics and investor sentiment. In the past, US govt selling news have stirred the market massively.

美国政府可能出售 69,370 比特币，这可能会对市场产生重大影响。按当前价格计算，价值约为 44 亿美元，如此大量的比特币清算可能会影响市场动态和投资者情绪。过去，美国政府抛售的消息曾大幅搅动市场。

Notably, Donald Trump vowed to transfer all seized Bitcoin into a “strategic national stockpile.” Following this, on July 29, the Biden-Harris administration transferred 29,800 Bitcoin to an unknown wallet address.

值得注意的是，唐纳德·特朗普发誓要将所有扣押的比特币转入“国家战略储备”。此后，7月29日，拜登-哈里斯政府将29,800个比特币转移到一个未知的钱包地址。

At press time, BTC traded at $62,356.

截至发稿时，BTC 交易价格为 62,356 美元。