FBI agent drains crypto wallets tied to 35 investigations, steals $2.47 million and plans Portugal escape
Patrick Steven Yaroch used credentials tied to 35 investigations for about 100 fraudulent transfers, according to DOJ. Read the full story on CryptoSlateUnderstand the crypto stories that matter and what to watch next. Get The Catalyst in your inbox
A former FBI agent stole $2.47 million in crypto using classified investigative records, compromising federal investigations into criminal organizations and foreign adversaries.
The US Department of Justice disclosed on Nov. 5 that Patrick Steven Yaroch, 37, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering after exploiting his access to crypto wallet credentials collected during FBI investigations.
His scheme involved about 100 unauthorized transfers using credentials tied to 35 separate FBI investigations, including wallets belonging to suspected criminals, adversarial nation-state actors, and at least one wallet the bureau created for an operation.
Prosecutors said the thefts compromised multiple investigations involving criminal groups and foreign adversaries, along with sensitive intelligence-gathering methods.
The disclosure exposes a significant internal security failure at the FBI, where an agent entrusted with protecting national security turned information gathered through federal investigations into personal enrichment.
According to prosecutors, Yaroch worked in the FBI's Boston Division from 2017 until early 2025, investigating threats involving a foreign adversary.
He subsequently joined the bureau's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, where he had access to systems containing cryptocurrency credentials obtained through investigations.
The thefts began no later than December 2024, before his transfer to the division.
An FBI affidavit filed in August revealed that Yaroch searched bureau records for crypto wallets associated with foreign adversaries, memorized their recovery credentials, and transferred funds into a personal wallet.
He initially told investigators that frustration with the FBI's inability to disrupt certain adversarial crypto accounts had led him to take matters into his own hands.