A U.S. government contractor accused of stealing more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from the U.S. Marshals Service was arrested on the island of Saint Martin in a joint operation between the FBI and France's elite Gendarmerie tactical unit.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest of John Daghita on X, calling it the product of around-the-clock international law enforcement coordination.
The case began not with a federal investigation but with a Telegram argument. In January 2026, blockchain investigator ZachXBT exposed Daghita - known online as "Lick" - after he inadvertently revealed control over a large crypto wallet during a public "band-for-band" flex with another user.
ZachXBT traced at least $24.9 million to a U.S. government-controlled wallet and linked the broader activity to more than $90 million in suspected illicit flows.
What Happened
Daghita is the son of Dean Daghita, president of Command Services & Support (CMDSS), a Virginia-based firm that was awarded a $4 million U.S. Marshals Service contract in October 2024 to manage and dispose of certain categories of seized cryptocurrency - including "Class 2-4" tokens requiring bespoke custody.
Some of the allegedly stolen funds were traced to wallets holding assets seized from the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
After ZachXBT's January report, Daghita taunted the investigator on Telegram and conducted a "dusting attack" on his public wallet address using a portion of the allegedly stolen funds - a move that drew further attention from investigators.
ZachXBT said he had already reported Daghita's wallet addresses to authorities prior to the stunt.
Read also: Dogecoin Flashes Bullish Signal Not Seen Since 2023
Why It Matters
The case exposes significant gaps in how the U.S. government oversees federally held cryptocurrency.
A 2025 CoinDesk report found that the Marshals Service struggled to reconcile its own digital asset holdings - a concern amplified now that the agency serves as primary custodian for the U.S. Bitcoin Reserve.
CMDSS's contract had also faced a prior protest from competitor Wave Digital Assets, which argued the firm lacked key credentials and flagged potential conflicts of interest; the Government Accountability Office denied that protest.
Formal criminal charges have not yet been made public. Daghita is expected to face extradition proceedings.