Prosecutors seize bank accounts of Montana firm linked to Tether

By Chris PrenticeUS prosecutors in California have seized millions of dollars from bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets tied to a Montana payments company reportedly linked to Tether.Owners of Capstone, which acted as a money services business, misrepresented the business as an information technology company to banks including Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase when opening accounts, federal prosecutors said in a civil forfeiture filing.Capstone, registered for business in Montana, processed numerous payments on behalf of two crypto companies through an agreement with a bank in Dominica, prosecutors said in a July filing that was reported by The Information on Thursday.A lawyer for Capstone said the firm denies the allegations."There are numerous fatal flaws and shortcomings in the government’s theories," Brian Klein, a partner at Cooley law firm, said in a statement. "Capstone has cooperated with the government’s investigation and hopes to resolve this matter quickly."Tether confirmed in a statement it was a customer of the bank but was unaware of Capstone's alleged fraud.According to prosecutors, Capstone engaged in a scheme to bilk victims out of cash by pretending to be FBI agents. It then converted the proceeds to crypto, prosecutors said."Tether had no knowledge of the conduct by Capstone alleged by the Department of Justice," the spokesperson said, noting its assets held at the bank were limited.The Justice Department in court filings did not allege any wrongdoing by the other firms.It seized nearly $81 million from Capstone's accounts with Wells Fargo and $2 million from an account with JPMorgan, court filings said. Another roughly $1.2 million worth of Tether's dollar-pegged token was also seized.Spokespeople for Wells Fargo and JPMorgan declined to comment.