FBI arrests contractor accused of stealing more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from U.S. Marshals Service

The FBI says a U.S. government contractor accused of stealing more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from the U.S. Marshals Service has been arrested in Saint Martin. FBI Director Kash Patel and the FBI Washington Field Office both said the suspect, John Daghita, was taken into custody in a joint operation with French law enforcement.

4This appears to be one of the most serious insider-theft allegations tied to U.S. government-held digital assets in recent years. Public reporting says the arrest took place with help from the International Cooperation Team Serious Crime Unit of the French Gendarmerie in Saint Martin and the Groupe d’intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale in Guadeloupe.

One important caution: so far, the most direct public confirmation comes from FBI social media posts and press reporting that quoted them. I did not find a public DOJ indictment or court filing in the search results I checked, so some details in broader coverage should still be treated as developing.

What happened

According to the FBI posts surfaced through official FBI pages, Daghita allegedly stole more than $46 million in cryptocurrency from the U.S. Marshals Service and was arrested on March 4 in Saint Martin. The FBI said the case involved international coordination and framed the arrest as part of its effort to pursue people who defraud U.S. taxpayers, even if they flee abroad.

News reports that followed the FBI announcement say the suspect was a government contractor with alleged access to systems or assets tied to the Marshals Service’s crypto management work. Several outlets also reported that authorities seized cash and digital storage devices during the arrest, though those details come from media reporting rather than a separate public court filing I could verify here.

What is confirmed so far

Why this case matters

The allegation matters because the U.S. Marshals Service plays a major role in handling and liquidating seized assets, including cryptocurrency in some cases. If a contractor really managed to divert tens of millions of dollars in crypto, the incident would raise serious questions about access controls, wallet custody, segregation of duties, and contractor oversight around federal digital asset handling. This is an inference based on the Marshals Service’s role and the reported allegation, not a confirmed FBI technical finding.

It also highlights the insider-risk problem that often gets less attention than external hacking. In cases involving seized crypto, a trusted person with the wrong level of access can be just as dangerous as an outside attacker because digital assets move fast and become hard to recover once funds are transferred through multiple wallets or laundering paths. That broader risk follows logically from the reported theft scenario.

What remains unclear

• The FBI has not publicly explained how the cryptocurrency was allegedly stolen.
• No public charging document appeared in the results I checked.
• The government has not publicly detailed whether any of the funds were recovered.
• The exact contract role and access pathway remain unclear in official public materials I found.

Key points

• The FBI says John Daghita was arrested in Saint Martin.
• He allegedly stole more than $46 million in crypto from the U.S. Marshals Service.
• French law enforcement assisted in the operation.
• The public record still looks incomplete, with no court filing surfaced in the official search results I reviewed.

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