The US government has taken full legal ownership of more than $400 million in seized cryptocurrency, cash and real estate linked to Helix, once one of the most widely used bitcoin mixing services on the darknet.
A federal judge in Washington, DC, entered a final forfeiture order on January 21, transferring the assets to the government following the conviction of Helix operator Larry Dean Harmon. The forfeiture includes thousands of bitcoin, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and an Ohio mansion purchased during the peak of Helix’s run.
Helix acted as a cryptocurrency mixer, aggregating and redirecting bitcoin transactions to hide their origins and destinations.
Prosecutors say the service was built to serve darknet drug markets and was directly integrated into their withdrawal systems through an application programming interface.
Court records show Helix processed about 354,468 bitcoins between 2014 and 2017, worth about $300 million at the time. Investigators tracked tens of millions of dollars from major darknet marketplaces through the service. Harmon took a cut of each transaction as operating fees.
Harmon pleaded guilty in August 2021 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. After years of delays, he was sentenced in November 2024 to three years in prison followed by supervised release. He was also ordered to forfeit seized assets and pay a forfeiture judgment.
Authorities say Helix worked with Grams, a darknet search engine Harmon also operated that helped users find illegal marketplaces. Together, the services formed part of the financial infrastructure that supported the darknet drug trade during that period.
Cash, an Ohio mansion and millions of dollars in bitcoin
Among the forfeited assets is a 4,099-square-foot home in Akron, Ohio, purchased by Harmon and his wife in 2016 for $680,000. Automated estimates place its current value between $780,000 and $950,000, according to reporting by Realtor.com.
The property sits on 1.21 acres of land and includes multiple fireplaces, a backyard fire pit, and a hot tub. Federal officials say the house will be auctioned off by the Internal Revenue Service.
In addition to the property, prosecutors reportedly seized more than $325,000 in cash and approximately 4,500 bitcoin, according to Realtor.com, now valued at about $355 million in current prices.
“This case demonstrates that the darknet is not a safe haven for criminal activity,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement, adding that law enforcement will continue to pursue cyber-enabled financial crime.
Harmon was reportedly released from prison in December 2025 through an early release program after completing drug rehabilitation.
He has said he plans to restart a legitimate bitcoin education business and is looking for new housing after the forfeiture.