Circle refused to assist in recovering the fraud funds and is facing criminal charges filed by the Wisconsin prosecutor's office

According to a report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the stablecoin issuer Circle has been criminally charged by the Wisconsin state prosecutor for refusing to comply with a court order to assist in recovering funds for fraud victims.

A victim in Wisconsin was defrauded of approximately 381,000 USDC, and the court issued a warrant last December requiring Circle to transfer frozen assets to law enforcement wallets, but Circle refused to comply, citing "technical inability to destroy and reissue tokens."

The New York state prosecutor had previously sent a letter to the U.S. Senate, accusing Circle of repeatedly refusing asset freeze requests without a warrant and questioning its motives—Circle currently holds at least 119 million frozen USDC, which can continuously earn interest.

In response, Circle denied the allegations, stating that the Wisconsin court lacks jurisdiction, and indicated that it has reached a preliminary agreement with federal prosecutors regarding a compensation mechanism for victims. Cryptocurrency tracking experts pointed out that Circle could fully implement token destruction and reissuance by updating its code, casting doubt on its claim of technical incapacity.