Still don't get it -- how is the FBI able to seize bitcoins?
Someone with high BCIQ lease explain.
Bitcoins only exist as a string of numbers (a bit coin key) That's why if you own some you want to keep them on some sort of password protected/encrypted drive... because all it takes to
steal your bitcoins is a copy/paste action. Someone pastes in your key to transact the coins to someone else and poof! They're gone.
In this case, the feds were able to seize the servers that actually contained the bitcoins... so they cannot be accessed by their owners anymore... Same reason you run the risk of losing your bitcoins if your computer crashes. Now it might turn out to be that the coins are on an encrypted drive and can't be accessed and they were being synced up with another site that can still redeem them, since you know... that's what i'd do with that much money, but i'm just going on what's been reported.