When arrogance beats opsec.
By Maxime Laurent · 2026-01-26 08:40
When arrogance beats opsec.
A $40M government crypto theft unraveled because someone couldn’t stop flexing.
This story reads like a bad Netflix script, but it’s painfully real. Blockchain sleuth ZachXBT exposed the man behind the theft of $40 million in crypto from a US government wallet holding confiscated assets.
The alleged culprit? John “Lick” Dagita, son of the CEO of CMMDS — a company with an active government contract in Virginia, working directly with the United States Marshals Service on managing and disposing of seized crypto assets. Yeah… that part.
What’s still unclear is the most uncomfortable question: did John get sensitive access indirectly through his father, or were they operating together? Officially unknown. But right after the exposure, CMMDS’ social media went dark. Always a great sign 🙃
And how did ZachXBT crack it? Not fancy zero-days. Not nation-state hacks. Just pure ego. John bragged about his holdings in a private chat and casually showed a tagged wallet on video. That was enough. Once the dots were connected, the cleanup began — wallets shuffled, trails blurred, panic mode activated.
This is crypto’s eternal lesson: blockchains don’t forget, and flexing is expensive. You can steal millions, but one moment of clout-chasing can end everything. Rien à ajouter.
Crypto doesn’t need villains with superpowers. Just humans being human.
#Crypto #Blockchain #ZachXBT #Security #OpSec #USGovernment #CryptoCrime #CryptoFriture
A $40M government crypto theft unraveled because someone couldn’t stop flexing.
This story reads like a bad Netflix script, but it’s painfully real. Blockchain sleuth ZachXBT exposed the man behind the theft of $40 million in crypto from a US government wallet holding confiscated assets.
The alleged culprit? John “Lick” Dagita, son of the CEO of CMMDS — a company with an active government contract in Virginia, working directly with the United States Marshals Service on managing and disposing of seized crypto assets. Yeah… that part.
What’s still unclear is the most uncomfortable question: did John get sensitive access indirectly through his father, or were they operating together? Officially unknown. But right after the exposure, CMMDS’ social media went dark. Always a great sign 🙃
And how did ZachXBT crack it? Not fancy zero-days. Not nation-state hacks. Just pure ego. John bragged about his holdings in a private chat and casually showed a tagged wallet on video. That was enough. Once the dots were connected, the cleanup began — wallets shuffled, trails blurred, panic mode activated.
This is crypto’s eternal lesson: blockchains don’t forget, and flexing is expensive. You can steal millions, but one moment of clout-chasing can end everything. Rien à ajouter.
Crypto doesn’t need villains with superpowers. Just humans being human.
#Crypto #Blockchain #ZachXBT #Security #OpSec #USGovernment #CryptoCrime #CryptoFriture
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and not financial advice.