ZachXBT identifies John Lick Daghita as the suspect behind a $40M theft from a U.S. government wallet, linked to a Telegram chat.
An on-chain investigator named ZachXBT has uncovered the identity of a suspect involved in the theft of $40 million from a U.S. government wallet. This wallet was designated for holding confiscated funds.
The accused, John Lick Daghita, is the son of Dean Daghita, CEO of CMDSS, a company that recently received a contract from the U.S. Marshals Service to manage and liquidate confiscated cryptocurrencies not listed on major exchanges.
Investigation Details
The investigation was sparked by a video from a Telegram chat where Daghita showcased his financial assets in an attempt to assert dominance over others. During this recording, he revealed his Exodus wallet, which contained around $2.3 million in TRON, and subsequently transferred $6.7 million to a different Ethereum address.
By the end of the exchange, one of his wallets had amassed $23 million. ZachXBT linked these funds to a specific address that received a transfer of $24.9 million from a government account holding confiscated assets earlier in March.
Previously, in October 2024, ZachXBT had reported a theft of approximately $20 million, with most of the funds returned shortly after the incident, although $700,000 remained untraceable after being withdrawn through exchanges. Additionally, another address belonging to Daghita was associated with inflows exceeding $63 million from various sources, including government seizure addresses.
Aftermath and Reaction
Following the public exposure of his activities, Daghita quickly deleted his NFT names and altered his profile on Telegram. Interestingly, he later sent $20 in ETH from a wallet linked to the stolen funds to ZachXBT.
In the wake of the investigation, CMDSS's website and its social media accounts were taken down, while Daghita created a new Telegram channel. ZachXBT also shared images of Daghita flaunting luxury watches and cars, indicating a lavish lifestyle.
This incident highlights the ongoing risks associated with cryptocurrency theft and the challenges authorities face in tracking down stolen assets.
