U.S. Authorities Arrest Suspect in $46 Million Government Wallet Theft

John Daghita, a contractor for the U.S. government, has been arrested for allegedly stealing over $46 million in digital assets from a cryptocurrency wallet belonging to the U.S. Marshals Service. His capture occurred on the island of Saint Martin, facilitated by a joint operation between the FBI and French law enforcement, as confirmed by FBI Director Kash Patel.

The investigation into Daghita's activities began after on-chain investigator ZachXBT identified him in January 2026. Daghita, known by the alias "Lick" in a Telegram chat, inadvertently revealed his wallet, which led to the tracing of the stolen funds. These assets were reportedly linked to a government seizure connected to the Bitfinex case.

ZachXBT disclosed that Daghita is the son of Dean Daghita, CEO of CMDSS, a company contracted by the Marshals Service in 2024 to manage seized cryptocurrencies. While the FBI described John as a government contractor, his exact role within CMDSS remains unclear.

Following the arrest, ZachXBT noted that Daghita had misused his access at his father's firm to execute the theft. He expressed satisfaction in a subsequent post, highlighting that Daghita had previously ridiculed him through Telegram and taunted him with the stolen funds.