US Government Sells Seized Anthropic Shares from FTX Executives, Forfeits Potential Gains
The U.S. Marshals Service sold shares of artificial intelligence firm Anthropic that were seized from former FTX executives Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh in early 2025. The government reportedly missed out on billions due to the timing of the sale, as Anthropic's valuation tripled during the year following its $61.5 billion funding round in March 2025. Both individuals had invested a total of $50 million into Anthropic in 2022 and were stripped of their stakes after pleading guilty for misusing customer funds from FTX. The sale details, including the price paid by buyers and the exact date, remain confidential under U.S. law. In contrast to public sales like those conducted by the FTX estate, which sold its stake in 2024 at $884 million with full transparency of buyers, this transaction lacks such disclosure. The government's decision has drawn comparisons to Sam Bankman-Fried’s early exits from similar investments that later became highly valuable. Analysts now estimate the forfeited Anthropic shares could be worth between $2.6 billion and $5 billion as of May 2026, when the company raised capital at a valuation of $965 billion before confidentially filing for an IPO.
Topics: Anthropic FTX seized assets US Marshals Service valuation growth