$40M US Crypto Heist Linked to Contractor’s Son Raises Insider Risk Alarm
A high-profile scandal has hit the crypto world in the United States: John Daghita, known online as "Lick", has allegedly swiped over $40...
Quick overview
- John Daghita, known as 'Lick', is accused of stealing over $40 million from government seizure addresses, allegedly aided by his father, David Daghita, head of CMDSS.
- Investigators have traced at least $23 million to a single wallet linked to multiple thefts, raising concerns about insider access to sensitive crypto information.
- CMDSS has removed its online presence to mitigate reputational damage, while authorities are scrutinizing the firm's protocols and controls over crypto assets.
- This scandal highlights the vulnerabilities in government-managed digital assets and the need for increased audits and transparency in the crypto sector.
A high-profile scandal has hit the crypto world in the United States: John Daghita, known online as “Lick”, has allegedly swiped over $40 MILLION from government seizure addresses. This apparently shady affair ties in with his old man, David Daghita – the head of CMDSS, a Virginia IT firm that somehow landed a 2024 contract with the US Marshals Service (USMS) to help oversee seized and forfeited crypto assets.
ZachXBT and a few other investigators have managed to track down at least $23 million that went missing in the mess, and surprisingly, it all seems to be connected to a single wallet linked to a couple of thefts totaling more than $90 million in 2024 and late 2025. While the exact how-to on this is still a mystery, one thing is clear: Daghita’s access to private crypto addresses- courtesy of his old man’s position at CMDSS – is being cited as the key factor that helped him allegedly get away with this breach.
CMDSS has now scrubbed its X and LinkedIn accounts & removed team and employee info from its website . Not hard to see why they took these drastic steps – firm’s worried about damage to its rep & its ongoing business.
Insider Access & the NFT Trail to Nowhere
Daghita, it seems, saw fit to brag about his ill-gotten gains on Telegram by interacting with addresses linked to our investigation . The problem now is that he went and changed his screen name and nuked his NFT usernames, which has really mucked up our efforts to follow the money trail.
In case you are curious how John Daghita (Lick) was able to steal $40M+ from US government seizure addresses.
John’s dad owns CMDSS, which currently has an active IT government contract in Virginia.
CMMDS was awarded a contract to assist the USMS in managing/disposing of… https://t.co/lzR2a1aidA pic.twitter.com/PV0IkSuhVy
— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) January 25, 2026
Some things to take note of:
- Blockchain sleuths have tied $23M to one single wallet.
- Total losses now look to be around $90M.
- Looks like Daghita knew exactly what he was doing & actively tried to cover his tracks
This is just one more example of how insider access can be a major risk, even when dealing with a government-approved system – just how vulnerable the whole crypto custody thing really is.
Government Contracts Under the Spotlight
CMDSS, as it happens, is one of the bigger players in federal IT contracting, doing business with the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice . With this scandal in the rear-view mirror, we’re naturally wondering just how sensitive crypto-related info could have been accessed before this whole thing went public.
Authorities are apparently taking a closer look at:
- CMDSS’s working protocols
- Whether controls over crypto assets were inadequate
- Potentially systemic risks that might pop up in similar contracts
The experts are now saying we need some thorough audits and transparency to get a better idea of what’s really going on. This one’s turning out to be one of the biggest high-profile breaches of government-managed digital assets in recent years, and it drives home just how much of a threat insider shenanigans can be in a sector that’s moving fast.
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