Trump Inaugural Impersonators Scammed Donors Out of $250,300 in Cryptocurrency, Federal Authorities Say
July 4, 2025 – Federal prosecutors have uncovered a sophisticated scam targeting donors to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, with perpetrators impersonating committee officials to steal over $250,300 in cryptocurrency. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil complaint on July 2, 2025, in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., detailing how scammers used deceptive email addresses to trick victims into transferring funds, exploiting the excitement surrounding President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Details of the Scam
The scam involved a Nigerian national posing as Steve Witkoff, co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. On December 24, 2024, the scammer sent a phishing email from a fraudulent address, “@t47lnaugural.com” (using a lowercase “l” to mimic the legitimate “@t47inaugural.com”), convincing a donor to transfer 250,300 USDT.ETH, a dollar-pegged stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain, to a cryptocurrency wallet ending in 58c52 on December 26, 2024. Within two hours, 215,000 USDT was dispersed to multiple cryptocurrency addresses to obscure the funds’ origin, according to the DOJ complaint.
The FBI, through blockchain analysis, traced and recovered approximately 40,300 USDT.ETH from a Binance account linked to Ehiremen Aigbokhan in Nigeria, with Binance voluntarily complying with a freeze request. The DOJ is seeking to permanently seize these funds to compensate the victim and deter future scams. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro emphasized the difficulty of recovering cryptocurrency due to blockchain’s complexity, urging donors to “double and triple check” recipient addresses.
Context and Broader Implications
This incident underscores the growing prevalence of cryptocurrency scams, particularly those exploiting political events. Sarvanan Pandian, CEO of KoinBX, described the scheme as a “new minefield” where scammers leverage public trust and political sentiment to deceive victims. The use of a subtle typo in the email domain highlights the sophistication of such attacks, with experts like Karan Pujara of Scam Buzzer noting that phishing remains a persistent threat, amplified by AI and automated bots that target high-balance wallets.
The scam occurs amid Trump’s growing ties to the cryptocurrency industry, which donated heavily to his 2024 campaign and inauguration, raising over $200 million, including $5 million from Ripple and $1 million from Coinbase. Trump’s launch of the $TRUMP memecoin and World Liberty Financial, managed by his sons, has drawn criticism for potential conflicts of interest, with experts like Harvard’s Steven Levitsky calling it “open corruption.” The DOJ’s action aligns with broader efforts to combat crypto fraud, including recent seizures of $225 million in USDT linked to “pig butchering” scams.
Public and Official Response
Assistant Director Steven Jensen of the FBI’s Washington Field Office warned that impersonation scams cost Americans billions annually, urging vigilance in verifying email addresses and avoiding transfers to unknown recipients. Tether, the issuer of USDT, cooperated with authorities, reinforcing its role in combating crypto misuse. Social media reactions on X, such as posts from @FBIWFO and @CNBCtech, reflect public concern over the scam’s audacity, with @iretileye clarifying that Trump himself was not the victim, but rather a donor.
Looking Forward
The DOJ’s filing is a step toward victim compensation, but the recovery of only 16% of the stolen funds highlights the challenges of tracing cryptocurrency. As Trump’s administration pushes pro-crypto policies, including a national crypto stockpile and relaxed regulations, the risk of such scams may increase. The FBI encourages reporting cybercrimes via its Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) to aid investigations. This case serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in digital finance, particularly when political enthusiasm is exploited.