It’s not nothing new. Confiscated assets are often auctioned, and specifically Bitcoin auction have been taking place for some time. This is an example of a 4K BTC auction that took place earlier this year:
https://www.usmarshals.gov/assets/2020/febbitcoinauction/In the FAQs it states that:
• How did the USMS get the authority to sell these bitcoins?
The USMS authority to dispose of forfeited property can be found at 28 C.F.R. 0.111(i).
Which is supported by
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/0.111 (0.111(i)):
(i) Maintenance of custody, management control, and disposal of property and money seized or forfeited pursuant to any law enforced or administered by the Department of Justice, when the property is seized by the U.S. Marshals Service or delivered to the U.S. Marshals Service in accordance with regulations; and administer the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Fund.
The US government is not trying to prove anything. It does it with other assets such as boats, planes, houses, art. You name it.
Having said that, Pierre Rochard does have a point, and it may be time for countries to start making a reserve (if they are not already doing it). Read
"Hard money you can’t f*ck with", and you’ll get an idea why.
By the way, probably (not)
a coincidence that the 69,370 Silk Road bitcoins were given in by a so called Mr. X, and that now, a few weeks later, there are rumours of a presidential pardon for Ross Ulbricht …