The FBI announced the arrest of John Daghita in connection with the alleged theft of more than $46 million in cryptocurrency that had been seized by the U.S. Marshals Service. FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest took place on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin and was carried out by the French Gendarmerie’s elite tactical unit in coordination with the FBI.
Patel shared a photograph showing a handcuffed Daghita alongside a suitcase containing cash, several thumb drives, a phone and three devices resembling Trezor hardware wallets. The FBI director did not disclose whether any of the reportedly stolen funds have been recovered.
The arrest follows reporting by online investigator ZachXBT, who in January traced a wallet linked to Daghita that held roughly $23 million in digital assets tied to about $90 million reportedly seized by U.S. authorities in 2024 and 2025. John Daghita’s father, Dean Daghita, is president of Command Services & Support (CMDSS), the firm awarded a 2024 contract by the U.S. Marshals Service to custody seized cryptocurrency. The Marshals Service previously confirmed it was investigating the situation.
Patrick Witt, director of the White House Crypto Council, publicly indicated in late January that he was addressing the initial claims.
Data compiled by BitcoinTreasuries.NET highlights the scale of government-held crypto: U.S. authorities, including the Marshals Service, may hold as much as 328,372 BTC through various seizures, illustrating the large volumes of digital assets in public custody.
In a separate but related development, 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. After that incident, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol said the government and relevant agencies would review how digital assets held by government bodies and public institutions are managed.
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