Son of US government contractor arrested for allegedly stealing $46 million in cryptocurrency

A U.S. government contractor's son, accused of stealing more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from the U.S. Marshals Service, was arrested Wednesday on the island of Saint Martin. The arrest was the result of a joint operation between the FBI and France's elite Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Thursday, according to a recent report by Bleeping Computer.

John Daghita, who allegedly used the online handle "Lick," is the son of Dean Daghita, president and CEO of Command Services & Support (CMDSS), a Virginia-based firm contracted by the U.S. Marshals Service since October 2024 to manage seized digital assets. These assets reportedly include funds tied to the 2016 Bitfinex hack. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT publicly broke the case in late January, tracing over $23 million in U.S. Marshals Service-linked wallet movements to addresses linked to Daghita.

Daghita allegedly exposed himself during a dispute with another individual in a private Telegram chat, demonstrating his ability to move large sums of cryptocurrency in real time. Law enforcement officers seized an undisclosed amount of U.S. dollars, multiple hard drives, and security keys during Daghita's arrest.

Source: Bleeping Computer