Federal contractor busted on ritzy Caribbean island for 'stealing $46 million in crypto' from US government
A government contractor accused of stealing $46 million in cryptocurrency from the US Marshals Service has been captured on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
John Daghita, 21, was arrested following a joint operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and French authorities, FBI director Kash Patel announced Thursday.
A now-deleted LinkedIn account reportedly identified Daghita as working for Virginia-based contractor Command Services & Support, a firm owned by his father, Dean Daghita.
Their work with the Marshals Service involved managing seized digital assets, which allegedly allowed Daghita to access private cryptocurrency accounts holding millions.
Authorities have not elaborated on how the younger Daghita allegedly stole the huge fortune, with his alleged fraud dating back to late 2024.
Patel announced the arrest on X sharing an image of a handcuffed Daghita wearing red sweatpants and flip flops as he was taken into custody next to a swimming pool.
Patel also shared an image of a silver briefcase filled with hundred dollar bills and a number of hard drives.
'The FBI will continue working 24/7 with our international partners to track down, apprehend, and bring to justice those who attempt to defraud American taxpayers - no matter where they try to hide,' Patel wrote.
Government contractor John Daghita, 21, is accused of stealing $46 million in crypto from the US Marshals Service. He was captured on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin
FBI Director Kash Patel shared an image on Thursday of Daghita's arrest and a silver briefcase filled with cash and hard drives
Daghita's arrest was the result of a months-long investigation by the US Marshals Service after a social media user alerted them to the allegedly missing funds, reports Coindesk.com.
Brady McCarron, chief of public affairs for the USMS, told the outlet that a probe was launched in January after authorities were tipped off by an X user.
The investigation was reportedly the result of public allegations brought forward by X user ZachXBT, who claimed that Daghita funneled tens of millions from crypto wallets linked to US government seizures.
The user, identifying Daghita through his nickname 'Lick', wrote in an X post on January 23: 'Meet the threat actor John (Lick), who was caught flexing $23M in a wallet address directly tied to $90M+ in suspected thefts from the US Government in 2024 and multiple other unidentified victims from Nov 2025 to Dec 2025.'
ZachXBT said he reported to authorities that the accounts held 12,540 ETH, worth roughly $36.3 million in total.
He alleged that Daghita was able to siphon the money because his dad's firm 'currently has an active IT government contract in Virginia.'
The arrest comes amid mounting scrutiny on the US federal government's handling of cryptocurrency assets, which President Trump has leaned into since retaking office
Daghita's arrest was reportedly the result of a monthslong investigation by the US Marshals Service after a social media user alerted them to the allegedly missing funds
The arrest comes amid mounting scrutiny on the US federal government's handling of cryptocurrency assets, which President Donald Trump has championed since retaking office.
In February 2025, a source told Coindesk.com that the US Marshals Service did not even know how much cryptocurrency it had.
At the time, Trump announced he was considering setting up a national crypto reserve.
Authorities are now expected to seek Daghita's extradition to the US to face trial.
The Daily Mail has contacted Command Services & Support for comment.
