The police in France and the US have caught a man named John "Lick" Daghita. He is accused of taking a lot of money, tens of millions of dollars, in cryptocurrency from wallets that held assets taken by the US government.

The arrest happened on the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean. It was a joint effort between the FBI and the French Gendarmerie, officials said.

Alleged Theft From Government Seizure Wallets

According to investigators, Daghita is accused of diverting a huge amount of money - over $46 million - in cryptocurrency from wallets that held funds seized during criminal investigations in the US.

The wallets were said to be managed by a company owned by Dean Daghita, Daghita's father, which provides technical and operational support as a contractor to government agencies in the U.S.

The government says John Daghita used his access to take digital assets from the wallets that the government controls.

Blockchain Investigator Sparked the Probe

The case started to get a lot of attention when a blockchain investigator named ZachXBT shared information that connected Daghita to a wallet that had about 12,540 ETH in it, which was worth more than $36 million back then. This revelation sparked interest and raised questions about the situation.

After the allegations were made public, the U.S. Marshals Service started looking into the matter.

Government officials are now looking into whether someone took cryptocurrency that didn't belong to them from wallets that the government had already taken control of. They want to know if any of this cryptocurrency was removed without permission.

Arrest and Evidence

The head of the FBI, Kash Patel, said on social media that they had made an arrest. He also said that they would keep working with other countries to catch people who are accused of cheating the American taxpayers.

Pictures that were released at the same time as the announcement showed Daghita with his hands cuffed and a metal suitcase that had lots of cash, USB drives, and what looked like special wallets used to store cryptocurrency.

Extradition Expected

Now that Daghita is in custody, the US authorities are likely to try to get him sent back to their country to face charges, as they continue to look into the matter.

The case highlights the growing challenges law enforcement faces when handling and securing large amounts of seized cryptocurrency, as well as the increasing role of blockchain investigators in uncovering illicit activity.

If proven in court, the alleged theft would represent one of the most unusual cases involving the misuse of cryptocurrency confiscated by the U.S. government.

Son of U.S. Government Contractor Arrested in France Over Alleged $46M Crypto Theft

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