US Investigates Alleged $90 Million Crypto Theft Linked To Contractor’s Son

bitcoinistPublicado em 2026-01-29Última atualização em 2026-01-29

Resumo

U.S. authorities are investigating a potential breach of government-controlled digital-asset wallets, following allegations of a $90 million crypto theft. The probe gained attention after blockchain investigator ZachXBT accused John “Lick” Daghita, son of a contractor working with the DOJ and Defense Department, of controlling wallets containing illicit funds—including assets tied to seized government wallets from the Bitfinex hack. The case emerged from a social media dispute where a hacker inadvertently revealed holdings later traced to $40M in government-seized crypto. Meanwhile, crypto-focused PAC Fairshake raised $193M ahead of midterm elections, as lawmakers debate new crypto regulations.

US authorities have launched an investigation into a potential breach involving government‐controlled cryptocurrency accounts. According to a Reuters report, the US Marshals Service confirmed in an email that it is examining a possible hack of government digital‐asset wallets.

Social Media Drama Unveils Crypto Crime

The investigation gained public attention earlier this week after Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, weighed in on social media.

On Monday, Witt responded on social media platform X (previously Twitter) to claims made by blockchain investigator ZachXBT, stating that he was looking into the matter. ZachXBT alleged that a hacker stole more than $60 million in late 2025, including funds traced back to government seizure wallets.

In a series of posts on X, ZachXBT accused John “Lick” Daghita, the son of Dean Daghita, the head of CMDSS, a firm that claims to supply crucial services to the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Department of Defense. The alleged theft came to light during a heated “band for band” dispute on the messaging app Telegram.

During the argument, a young hacker began screen‐sharing his wallets while boasting about his holdings. Investigators later traced those wallets to more than $40 million in seized crypto assets belonging to the government.

ZachXBT’s findings went further, alleging that the individual known as “John Lick” was seen controlling wallets tied to more than $90 million in suspected illicit funds.

Among the assets identified were cryptocurrencies associated with US government seizure addresses linked to the high‐profile Bitfinex hack, adding another layer of seriousness to the allegations.

Midterm Elections Countdown

While questions around government wallet security continue to unfold, the broader political and regulatory environment for crypto in the United States is also intensifying.

CNBC reported on Wednesday that the crypto‐focused political action committee (PAC) Fairshake raised a total of $193 million by the end of last year, positioning it as a major force ahead of the upcoming congressional midterm elections.

The updated figure reflects two significant donations made in the second half of 2025, including $25 million from Ripple and $24 million from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, a16z.

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, another major supporter, contributed $25 million in the first half of last year, shortly before Fairshake announced it had $141 million available.

“With the midterms approaching, we are united behind our mission, with Fairshake continuing to oppose anti‐crypto politicians and support pro‐crypto leaders,” Fairshake spokesperson Josh Vlasto said.

This week, senators are negotiating the crypto market structure bill aimed at setting regulatory standards for the entire crypto sector. One portion of the legislation is expected to receive its first vote Thursday in the Senate Agriculture Committee.

However, the section overseen by the Senate Banking Committee has been delayed after lawmakers called off a planned vote amid ongoing disagreements over the bill’s provisions.

The 1-D chart shows the total crypto market cap inching closer to the $3 trillion milestone. Source: TOTAL on TradingView.com

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

Perguntas relacionadas

QWhat is the alleged amount of cryptocurrency stolen in the hack being investigated by US authorities, and who is the primary suspect?

AThe alleged theft involves more than $90 million in suspected illicit funds, and the primary suspect is John 'Lick' Daghita, the son of the head of a firm that supplies services to the DOJ and Department of Defense.

QHow did the alleged crypto theft initially come to public attention?

AIt came to public attention after blockchain investigator ZachXBT made claims on social media platform X, which were then addressed by Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets.

QWhat specific incident during a Telegram argument helped investigators trace the stolen funds?

ADuring a heated 'band for band' dispute on Telegram, a young hacker began screen-sharing his wallets while boasting about his holdings, which investigators later traced to over $40 million in seized government crypto assets.

QWhich major crypto-focused political action committee (PAC) was reported to have raised $193 million by the end of last year?

AThe crypto-focused PAC named Fairshake raised a total of $193 million by the end of last year.

QWhat is the connection between the alleged stolen funds and the Bitfinex hack?

AAmong the assets identified in the alleged theft were cryptocurrencies associated with US government seizure addresses that were linked to the high-profile Bitfinex hack.

Leituras Relacionadas

Gensyn AI: Don't Let AI Repeat the Mistakes of the Internet

In recent months, the rapid growth of the AI industry has attracted significant talent from the crypto sector. A persistent question among researchers intersecting both fields is whether blockchain can become a foundational part of AI infrastructure. While many previous AI and Crypto projects focused on application layers (like AI Agents, on-chain reasoning, data markets, and compute rentals), few achieved viable commercial models. Gensyn differentiates itself by targeting the most critical and expensive layer of AI: model training. Gensyn aims to organize globally distributed GPU resources into an open AI training network. Developers can submit training tasks, nodes provide computational power, and the network verifies results while distributing incentives. The core issue addressed is not decentralization for its own sake, but the increasing centralization of compute power among tech giants. In the era of large models, access to GPUs (like the H100) has become a decisive bottleneck, dictating the pace of AI development. Major AI companies are heavily dependent on large cloud providers for compute resources. Gensyn's approach is significant for several reasons: 1) It operates at the core infrastructure layer (model training), the most resource-intensive and technically demanding part of the AI value chain. 2) It proposes a more open, collaborative model for compute, potentially increasing resource utilization by dynamically pooling idle GPUs, similar to early cloud computing logic. 3) Its technical moat lies in solving complex challenges like verifying training results, ensuring node honesty, and maintaining reliability in a distributed environment—making it more of a deep-tech infrastructure company. 4) It targets a validated, high-growth market with genuine demand, rather than pursuing blockchain integration without purpose. Ultimately, the boundaries between Crypto and AI are blurring. AI requires global resource coordination, incentive mechanisms, and collaborative systems—areas where crypto-native solutions excel. Gensyn represents a step toward making advanced training capabilities more accessible and collaborative, moving beyond a niche controlled by a few giants. If successful, it could evolve into a fundamental piece of AI infrastructure, where the most enduring value in the AI era is often created.

marsbitHá 10h

Gensyn AI: Don't Let AI Repeat the Mistakes of the Internet

marsbitHá 10h

Why is China's AI Developing So Fast? The Answer Lies Inside the Labs

A US researcher's visit to China's top AI labs reveals distinct cultural and organizational factors driving China's rapid AI development. While talent, data, and compute are similar to the West, Chinese labs excel through a pragmatic, execution-focused culture: less emphasis on individual stardom and conceptual debate, and more on teamwork, engineering optimization, and mastering the full tech stack. A key advantage is the integration of young students and researchers who approach model-building with fresh perspectives and low ego, prioritizing collective progress over personal credit. This contrasts with the US culture of self-promotion and "star scientist" narratives. Chinese labs also exhibit a strong "build, don't buy" mentality, preferring to develop core capabilities—like data pipelines and environments—in-house rather than relying on external services. The ecosystem feels more collaborative than tribal, with mutual respect among labs. While government support exists, its scale is unclear, and technical decisions appear driven by labs, not state mandates. Chinese companies across sectors, from platforms to consumer tech, are building their own foundational models to control their tech destiny, reflecting a broader cultural drive for technological sovereignty. Demand for AI is emerging, with spending patterns potentially mirroring cloud infrastructure more than traditional SaaS. Despite challenges like a less mature data industry and GPU shortages, Chinese labs are propelled by vast talent, rapid iteration, and deep integration with the open-source community. The competition is evolving beyond a pure model race into a contest of organizational execution, developer ecosystems, and industrial pragmatism.

marsbitHá 11h

Why is China's AI Developing So Fast? The Answer Lies Inside the Labs

marsbitHá 11h

3 Years, 5 Times: The Rebirth of a Century-Old Glass Factory

Corning, a 175-year-old glass company, is experiencing a dramatic revival as a key player in AI infrastructure, driven by surging demand for high-performance optical fiber in data centers. AI data centers require vastly more fiber than traditional ones—5 to 10 times as much per rack—to handle high-speed data transmission between GPUs. This structural demand shift, coupled with supply constraints from the lengthy expansion cycle for fiber preforms, has created a significant supply-demand gap. Nvidia has invested in Corning, along with Lumentum and Coherent, in a $4.5 billion total commitment to secure the optical supply chain for AI. Corning's competitive edge lies in its expertise in producing ultra-low-loss, high-density, and bend-resistant specialty fiber, which is critical for 800G+ and future 1.6T data rates. Its deep involvement in co-packaged optics (CPO) with partners like Nvidia further solidifies its position. While not the largest fiber manufacturer globally, Corning's revenue from enterprise/data center clients now exceeds 40% of its optical communications sales, and it has secured multi-year supply agreements with major hyperscalers including Meta and Nvidia. Financially, Corning's optical communications revenue has surged, doubling from $1.3 billion in 2023 to over $3 billion in 2025. Its stock price has risen nearly 6-fold since late 2023. Key future catalysts include the rollout of Nvidia's CPO products and the scale of undisclosed customer agreements. However, risks include high current valuations and potential disruption from next-generation technologies like hollow-core fiber. The company's long-term bet on light over electricity, maintained even through the telecom bubble crash, is now being validated by the AI boom.

marsbitHá 12h

3 Years, 5 Times: The Rebirth of a Century-Old Glass Factory

marsbitHá 12h

Trading

Spot
Futuros
活动图片