U.S. Congress Proposes New Crypto Crime Task Force to Fill DOJ's NCET Gap

According to CryptoSlate, U.S. Representatives Lance Gooden and Josh Gottheimer have jointly introduced the Federal Cryptocurrency Theft Enforcement and Coordination Act, which proposes establishing a federal task force on cryptocurrency theft within the Department of Justice. The task force would include representatives from the DOJ, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the Treasury Department (including FinCEN). This task force would serve as the central federal coordination body responsible for preventing, investigating, and prosecuting cryptocurrency theft cases, while providing training and technical guidance to local law enforcement agencies on evidence collection, asset tracing, and victim support. This initiative follows the DOJ’s April 2025 dissolution of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), citing a policy of “prosecution over regulation.” FBI data shows that in 2025, there were 181,000 complaints involving cryptocurrency, resulting in losses exceeding $11 billion. Notably, the bill explicitly excludes cryptocurrency market regulation from the task force’s jurisdiction, and existing criminal statutes remain unchanged. However, critical details such as funding, staffing, and victim response mechanisms have yet to be clarified, raising concerns among observers about its practical enforcement capabilities.