The FBI announced the arrest of John Daghita in connection with the theft of more than $46 million in cryptocurrency seized by the U.S. Marshals Service. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that the arrest was carried out on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin by the French Gendarmerie’s elite tactical unit working with the FBI.
Patel posted a photo of a handcuffed Daghita alongside images of a suitcase containing cash, several thumb drives, a phone and three devices resembling Trezor hardware wallets. The FBI director did not say whether any of the allegedly stolen funds have been recovered.
The case follows reporting by online investigator ZachXBT, who in January traced a wallet linked to Daghita holding about $23 million in digital assets tied to roughly $90 million reportedly seized by U.S. authorities in 2024 and 2025. Daghita’s father, Dean Daghita, is president of Command Services & Support (CMDSS), which was awarded a 2024 contract by the U.S. Marshals Service to custody seized cryptocurrency. The Marshals Service had previously confirmed it was investigating the matter. Patrick Witt, director of the White House Crypto Council, publicly indicated in late January that he was “on it,” referencing the initial claims.
Data from BitcoinTreasuries.NET indicates U.S. authorities—including the Marshals Service—may hold as much as 328,372 BTC through various seizures, underscoring the scale of government custody of crypto assets.
Separately, South Korean police in February arrested two people linked to the loss of 22 BTC (about $1.6 million at the time) that had been seized in a 2021 exchange hack and stored on a third party’s cold wallet. Following that incident, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol said the government and relevant agencies would inspect the status and management practices of digital assets held by government bodies and public institutions.
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