- John “Lick” Daghita was arrested in a single day in Saint Martin in a joint FBI and French Gendarmerie operation, charged with stealing roughly US$46 million (AU$65 million) in cryptocurrency from US Marshals Service seizure wallets.
- Daghita allegedly exploited privileged entry by way of CMDSS, his father Dean Daghita’s Virginia-based federal contracting agency, which held a contract to handle and eliminate seized cryptocurrency for the Division of Justice and the Division of Protection.
- Blockchain analyst ZachXBT publicly uncovered the alleged theft in January 2026, connecting the stolen funds to belongings seized from the 2016 Bitfinex hack and prompting the U.S. Marshals Service to open its formal investigation.
US authorities have arrested John Daghita on the French facet of Saint Martin in reference to the alleged theft of roughly US$46 million (AU$70.38 million) in cryptocurrency from wallets managed by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The arrest happened in a single day on March 5 in a joint operation involving the FBI and a tactical unit from the French Gendarmerie. Authorities stated brokers recovered a steel briefcase containing money, a number of onerous drives and digital safety keys.
Prosecutors allege Daghita used privileged entry related to CMDSS, a Virginia-based IT and operational assist contractor that supplied companies associated to seized digital belongings for U.S. authorities companies, together with the Division of Justice.
It’s a bit ambiguous, however CMDSS is run by his father, Dean Daghita. However courtroom filings, as described by authorities, establish John Daghita as a US authorities contractor, although his actual function was not specified.
Investigators stated the alleged theft stemmed from insider entry fairly than an exterior hack. They linked the scheme to a pockets holding about 12,540 Ethereum (ETH), price greater than US$36 million (AU$55.08 million). Authorities allege these belongings shaped a part of the roughly US$46 million taken from government-controlled wallets.
Associated: Jamie Dimon Warns Stablecoin Yield Fight Could Threaten US Financial System
Can’t Escape ZachXBT
The case gained momentum after materials from a dispute on Telegram circulated on-line and drew the eye of blockchain investigator ZachXBT, the primary terror of scammers and hackers.
ZachXBT stated he traced the funds on-chain and related them to US authorities seizure wallets in January 2026. Accordingly, the findings in these wallets had been later referred to authorities, after which the US Marshals Service opened a proper investigation.
Daghita now faces federal prices tied to the alleged theft, and US authorities are anticipated to hunt his extradition from the French jurisdiction of Saint Martin.
The case has intensified scrutiny of how US companies and contractors safeguard seized digital belongings, notably the place inside entry controls are concerned. The US Marshals Service is liable for holding cryptocurrency confiscated by way of federal legislation enforcement actions, and prosecutors allege this case uncovered weaknesses in these custody preparations.
Learn extra: Bitwise’s Matt Hougan: The Weekend That Proved Onchain Markets Are the Future
The submit Contractor’s Son Arrested Over Alleged $46M Crypto Theft From US Marshals appeared first on Crypto News Australia.