A 25-year-old American man is suspected of stealing $46 million worth of cryptocurrency from wallets controlled by the U.S. government. After pulling off the heist, he lived a life of luxury, buying a Lamborghini, renting a mansion, chartering a private yacht, and even hiring bodyguards and a private chef.
But what ultimately exposed him was neither police surveillance nor a technical vulnerability—it was bragging about his wealth in a Telegram group chat.
The man is named John Daghita, and goes by the online handle Lick. He previously worked at a company called Command Services & Support (CMDSS), which has a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service to manage cryptocurrency seized by the government. His father is the company's president.
In January 2025, Daghita joined the company as a cryptocurrency expert.
The investigation showed that on December 15, 2025, he allegedly made the first transfer of approximately $5 million in government-controlled crypto assets. Then, between January 22 and 23, 2026, another approximately $41 million was transferred.
After getting the money, he went on a spending spree.
A 2019 Lamborghini Aventador, a six-bedroom mansion, a private yacht, bodyguards, and a private chef all became part of his everyday life.
On top of that, he reportedly spent more than $2 million to buy three Telegram usernames: @devil, @skid, and @fraud.
What truly exposed him was a wealth-flaunting contest in a Telegram group chat.
In January 2026, he joined a private group. Members liked to play a game called Band for Band, where they showed off their wallet balances to see who was wealthier.
To prove his wealth, Daghita shared a screenshot of his Exodus wallet, showing a TRON address holding approximately $2.3 million in assets.
He then went so far as to transfer another $6.7 million worth of Ethereum during the group chat. After several transactions, approximately $23 million was eventually consolidated into a single wallet.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT noticed the chat and used video footage to trace the related wallet addresses, ultimately linking approximately $24.9 million to a wallet controlled by the U.S. government.
The funds were connected to assets seized by the U.S. government after the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
On January 23, 2026, ZachXBT made the findings public.
Even more outrageous, Daghita later transferred a small amount of suspected stolen funds to his own public wallet to taunt investigators.
On March 4, 2026, the FBI and French law enforcement arrested him on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
Law enforcement officers reportedly seized $239,348 in cash, a Rolex watch, hardware wallets, and other electronic devices at the scene.
A case that began with government asset management, internal access, and the movement of tens of millions of dollars ended with the suspect exposing his own wallet address by showing off in a Telegram group chat.
In the blockchain world, funds can move across chains, be split among multiple wallets, and pass through complex transaction paths to conceal their trail.
But as long as there is an on-chain record, it can become a clue for tracking the funds.
Sometimes, what exposes a person isn't technology, but an inability to control their vanity.
