FBI Begins Process to Seize $1.2M in Bitcoin from GirlsDoPorn Boss
The FBI seized $51,533 in Bitcoin from Michael Pratt, a New Zealand pornographer arrested in 2022 for sex trafficking. A forfeiture order filed in July 2024 targeted three Bitcoin wallets containing 8.13 BTC, valued at $840,000. Pratt operated the GirlsDoPorn website from 2007 to 2019 and was charged in absentia with sex trafficking in 2019. He was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list in early 2022 and arrested in Spain in December 2022. Extradited to the U.S. in March 2024, he faces 19 charges, including sex trafficking and child pornography. Victims were misled into performing in adult content under false pretenses. The website generated over $17 million before being shut down in January 2020 after a court ruling. Pratt's associates have pleaded guilty, while he maintains a not guilty plea and awaits trial in September. His location was traced through a 2020 Ledger hack revealing his personal details.
