I don't think this is correct. BitCoins do not have serial number. BitCoins are numeric values, associated with one specific address/account. Transactions just show that number moving from one address to another.
Now, this ledger WILL show the transactions. So you CAN tell that your BitCoin fraudulently moved from one address to another.
So, if I steal BitCoin from you, and then sit on it 2 years while you:
- Somehow find out who I am
- Go to court in both my and your jurisdictions and receive positive judgments
- Somehow obtain my Private Key
Than sure, you can recover your BitCoin from me.
But in the more likely scenario that I steal it, break it into hundreds of separate pieces, launder it with several transactions with several folks that are not banks (and may even be legitimate folks trading with me in a manner they think is legitimate), it's just not realistic to think you can get that back. Also, keep in mind that I may have a lot of BitCoin that is known to be legitimate. Or any of the people who knowingly or unknowingly launder it may have legitimate BitCoins. Since there's no serial numbers, when you try to take it back from one of my downstream transactees, which person got the stolen BitCoin, and which one got the legitimate BitCoin?
It's theoretically possible to get BitCoin back, but realistically, I don't see it happening.