While the strategic Bitcoin reserve promised by Donald Trump still does not exist, a scandal may well involve cryptocurrency stocks seized by the US justice system as part of legal proceedings. At issue: the theft of more than $40 million detected by crypto investigator ZachXBT.
Seized cryptocurrencies: $40 million stolen from the US government’s coffers?
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump made his plan for a strategic Bitcoin reserve a central part of his pro-crypto political message. More than a year after he took office, this ambition is currently at a standstill, with the only real achievement being a ban on the sale of cryptocurrencies seized during legal proceedings.
This presidential desire appears to have been ignored by certain federal institutions, considering that the U.S. Department of Justice for the Southern District of New York decided to unilaterally sell the 57.5 BTC—approximately $6 million at the time—seized in the Samurai Wallet case.
And this is apparently only the tip of the iceberg, given the leak of government cryptocurrencies that could also involve fraudulent transactions, according to details recently published by crypto investigator ZachXBT.
Indeed, it appears that the son—John (Lick)—of the owner of a company with an “active IT contract with the Virginia government” has just claimed, without necessarily realizing it, the theft of “more than $40 million from U.S. government seizure addresses.”
A “band for band” that turns into evidence
It all started with a “band for band” involving two malicious actors in a discussion group, “to see who had the most funds in their crypto wallets.” An operation consisting of demonstrating in real time—with screenshots to prove it—who had the largest portfolio of stolen funds.
In the midst of this dubious ego battle was a certain John (Lick), who was quickly “caught showing off $23 million in a wallet address directly linked to an alleged theft in 2024 of $90 million held by the U.S. government, as well as multiple other unidentified victims between November 2025 and December 2025 .”
The malicious actors boast about stealing the funds in leaked recordings, instead of simply keeping quiet after an alleged theft at the expense of the US government. (…) Evidence of ownership of these wallets makes the future case very straightforward for law enforcement.
ZachXBT
Whether it was an admission of guilt or simply a precautionary measure, the infamous John (Lick) “quickly deleted all NFT usernames from his Telegram account and changed his pseudonym” after ZachXBT’s publication, while sending crypto to his public address in the form of an obvious “dust” provocation.
According to the crypto investigator, the only real question still unanswered in this case is how the young man “gained access through his father.”
