A U.S. government contractor who allegedly stole more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from the U.S. Marshalls service was arrested Wednesday night on the island of Saint Martin, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel.
He revealed in a Thursday X post that the contractor, John Daghita, was apprehended by the French Gendarmerie’s premier elite tactical unit in a joint operation with the FBI. Saint Martin currently has a French side and a Dutch side, and the Gendarmerie is part of the French armed forces.
“Thanks to the International Cooperation Team Serious Crime Unit of the French Gendarmerie National in Saint Martin, and the Groupe d’intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale of Guadeloupe for the outstanding coordination,” said Patel. “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.”
Daghita is reportedly the son of Dean Daghita, CEO of Command Services and Support (CMDSS), according to an article published last month in Fortune. CMDSS is a Virginia-based firm that won a $4 million contract from the U.S. Marshals Service in 2024, the article noted.
“The contract calls for CMDSS to assist the Marshals Service, which is the primary custodian for the newly created U.S. Bitcoin Reserve, with the sale of certain types of cryptocurrency,” said Fortune. “In this capacity, CMDSS would likely have access to crypto wallets controlled by the U.S. Marshals.”
In January ZachXBT – described by Fortune as “a well-known security researcher” – reported on X that John Daghita (going by the hacker name “Lick”) had “had inadvertently disclosed on Telegram” that he controlled crypto funds stolen from the U.S. government. Fortune also said that CMDSS competitors challenged the initial decision by the Marshals Service to award the contract to CMDSS.
“Fortune sought comment from CMDSS via a phone number that the company removed from its website following the initial reports about John Daghita in January, and via a form on the site, but did not receive an immediate reply,” said the outlet in early February. It also said the Marshals Service “did not respond to repeated follow-up calls from Fortune,” about the status of an investigation into the matter.
According to a Thursday X post from the FBI Washington Field Office, the operation to apprehend John Daghita included collaboration from the bureau’s international offices in Paris and Bridgetown, Barbados. Photos shared by the FBI show a handcuffed man in red pants and a white shirt who appears to have tattoos on his left arm, as well as a suitcase filled with what looks like rubber-banded stacks of U.S. currency, zip drives and more.