FBI Nabs Suspect in $46 Million US Marshals Crypto Theft

According to a Thursday social media post, federal authorities have apprehended John Daghita, the son of a U.S. government contractor accused of siphoning more than $46 million in confiscated crypto from the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). 

This puts an end to one of the most brazen insider crypto heists in U.S. government history.

The arrest in Saint Martin

The arrest took place on the island of Saint Martin.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the successful capture on the X social media platform. 

The International Cooperation Team Serious Crime Unit of the French Gendarmerie National in Saint Martin, as well as the Groupe d’intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale of Guadeloupe assisted the U.S. authorities during the raid. 

The audacious inside job 

John Daghita is the son of Dean Daghita, the president and CEO of Command Services & Support (CMDSS).

In October 2024, the Virginia-based technology firm was awarded a lucrative  federal contract by the U.S. Marshals Service to manage seized crypto. 

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Authorities allege that John Daghita somehow took advantage of insider access at his father’s company to steal an entire crypto fortune. 

The scheme unraveled in late January 2026 because the suspect could not resist showing off his ill-gotten wealth on the messaging app Telegram. 

During an argument, he screen-shared an Exodus wallet displaying millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from a pseudonymous account. 

His wallet activity was traced back with the help of on-chain analysis. 

Roughly $25 million of the flaunted funds went directly back to a U.S. government-controlled wallet associated with assets seized from the infamous 2016 Bitfinex hack.

CMDSS wiped its social media presence and website following the expose, and the USMS launched an internal investigation alongside the FBI.

The fact that an independent contractor’s son could allegedly siphon $46 million has raised severe alarms about the U.S. Marshals Service’s operational security.