Last night, John Daghita – a US government contractor who allegedly stole more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from the US Marshals Service – was arrested on the island of Saint Martin in a joint operation by the French Gendarmerie’s premier elite tactical unit… pic.twitter.com/3ttouchgbjk
– FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) 5 March 2026
In January, an investigation by blockchain analyst and Paradigm advisor ZachXBT linked Daghita to the theft of crypto from the US Marshals Service (USMS). Notably, Patel referred to Daghita as a government contractor in his ex-post. Previously, Daghita was reported to be the son of a top executive of the firm that was awarded the contract to safely store crypto on behalf of the USMS. According to reports, most of the funds stolen from USMS were immediately returned within 24 hours of being stolen. When reached by Gizmodo at the time, the USMS said no comment would be provided as the situation was under investigation.
ZachXBT made its investigation on the matter public after a Telegram account linked to Daghita was revealed to be in control of a blockchain address linked to the theft from USMS. At the time, the Telegram user was engaged in a public battle with another Telegram user in a group chat over who controlled more crypto. In light of last night’s arrest, ZachXBT posted to X, “John Daghita (Lick) was arrested in the Caribbean yesterday as a direct result of my investigation… Thanks for the last laugh, John.”
As a direct result of my investigation John Daghita (Lick) was arrested in the Caribbean yesterday.
In late January 2026, I revealed how John stole $46M+ in seized crypto assets from the US government by abusing access to his father’s company CMDSS, which held the USMS contract.… pic.twitter.com/iqnoQXKJqZ
– ZachXBT (@zachxbt) 5 March 2026
Although the US government has not yet purchased new Bitcoin or other crypto assets on behalf of its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve or crypto reserves, the US is the largest known holder of Bitcoin among all nation-states due to a large number of seizures by federal law enforcement over the past few years. In the past, these crypto assets were sold, but the establishment of the Bitcoin Reserve via executive order by President Trump last year has ended this practice. In addition to Bitcoin reserves being created at the federal level, several states such as Arizona and Texas have also created their own reserves. Despite the recent lack of action regarding Bitcoin reserves, Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Advisory Council on Digital Assets, indicated that it was still a priority for the White House in January.
There have been a number of thefts of large crypto holdings over the past few years, and many of them have been found inside jobs, as is the alleged situation surrounding Daghita’s arrest. However, a recent case in South Korea shows that unfamiliarity with how crypto works can also be an issue, as crypto was stolen after a photo was posted online with a seed phrase attached to a crypto wallet that was seized by law enforcement.
Criminal use of crypto is also said to be on the rise in general, with a report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis indicating that 2025 was a record year for this illicit activity with an estimated $154 billion worth transferred.
Physical attacks aimed at crypto theft are also becoming increasingly common, as attacking a known crypto user’s home or attacking them on the street is a way to circumvent the high-level, cryptographic security provided by systems like Bitcoin. Binance France President David Prince was recently the victim of such an attack, and there was another home invasion in Arizona that mirrored a previous episode of Black Mirror. While the ability to gain full self-custody over digital assets has proven useful during crises such as the war in Iran, attacks of this type indicate that full financial sovereignty can also be a double-edged sword if proper security precautions are not taken.
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