Key Highlights
- The infamous threat actor Lick launched a new memecoin $LICK on Solana, which followed a classic pump-and-dump scheme.
- Lick allegedly stole $40M+ from U.S. government crypto wallets, raising red flags for investor safety.
- The U.S. keeps seized Bitcoin in a Strategic Reserve; Samourai Wallet assets remain under federal control.
John Daghita, widely known as Lick and accused of stealing $40 million from the U.S. government, has launched a new memecoin, $LICK, on Solana. According to security firm Bubblemaps, Lick initially held 40% of the token supply and promoted the launch through live streams on Telegram.
Dexscreener data shows that $LICK saw an increase in buying activity, but prices declined drastically soon as selling activity dominated. Its price jumped as high as $0.0009029, an increase of nearly 1,200% from the launch, just to crash to nearly zero within hours.
Lick’s alleged history of theft
Lick’s actions have raised serious concerns beyond just his token. According to on-chain investigator ZachXBT, he allegedly stole $40 million from U.S. government crypto wallets in 2024, and also targeted other victims in late 2025. Reports show he controlled several wallets holding millions in Ethereum and other crypto, including money tied to the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
“Meet the threat actor John (Lick), who was caught flexing $23M in a wallet address directly tied to $90M+ in suspected thefts from the U.S. Government,” ZachXBT posted. The thread traces his crypto movements, highlighting transfers from government-seized wallets to personal addresses.
Furthermore, Lick’s father owns CMDSS, a company contracted by the U.S. Marshals Service to manage and dispose of seized crypto, potentially enabling insider access.
Government scrutiny and Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
After these claims came out, the U.S. Marshals Service said it’s investigating whether over $40 million in seized crypto was stolen. The Virginia-based contractor CMDSS, responsible for handling some of these assets, is at the center of the investigation.
This has raised bigger questions about how the government keeps its crypto safe, especially since it holds around 328,372 Bitcoin worth about $29 billion.
The controversy came after more attention was paid to how the government handles seized Bitcoin, especially after claims that Samourai Wallet funds were sold even though they were supposed to stay in the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Nevertheless, it has now been confirmed by the DOJ that assets from the Samourai Wallet case are still under federal control and part of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Additionally, the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, announced at the World Economic Forum that seized Bitcoin, including assets from the Tornado Cash case, will not be sold but will be used for long-term reserve purposes.
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