Former FBI agent Patrick Steven Yaroch has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering after stealing approximately $2.47 million in cryptocurrency through nearly 100 unauthorized transfers linked to 35 federal investigations.
Summary
- Former FBI agent Patrick Yaroch pleaded guilty to stealing $2.47 million in cryptocurrency using investigative credentials.
- Prosecutors identified approximately 100 fraudulent cryptocurrency transfers involving wallet credentials linked to 35 FBI investigations.
- Yaroch laundered stolen cryptocurrency through multiple transactions and used some proceeds to repay personal debts.
- The former agent consulted ChatGPT about relocating to Portugal and subsequently engaged lawyers for tax registration.
- Yaroch faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for March 4, 2027.
According to a November 5 announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the 37-year-old used cryptocurrency wallet credentials collected during FBI investigations to steal funds from accounts belonging to investigative subjects, foreign adversaries and at least one wallet created for an FBI operation.
Yaroch, who previously worked in the bureau’s counterintelligence division, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted his guilty plea in Alexandria, Virginia, with sentencing scheduled for March 4, 2027.
Former FBI agent used investigative access to steal cryptocurrency
Court documents show that Yaroch worked at the FBI’s Boston Division between 2017 and early 2025, where he was assigned to a squad investigating an adversarial nation-state.
He subsequently transferred to the Counterintelligence and Espionage Division in February 2025, gaining access to FBI systems containing cryptocurrency credentials obtained during criminal and intelligence investigations.
Prosecutors said his thefts began no later than December 2024, before he moved to the new division. Using credentials associated with investigations outside his authorized activities, Yaroch accessed cryptocurrency wallets and transferred funds without permission.
The approximately 100 fraudulent transactions involved credentials connected to 35 separate FBI investigations. Authorities calculated his total illicit proceeds at $2,474,380.66, substantially exceeding the roughly $1 million initially identified when his activities became public.
As crypto.news previously reported, authorities arrested Yaroch in July after he admitted taking cryptocurrency from accounts associated with foreign adversaries.
An FBI affidavit filed in August described how he searched investigative records for cryptocurrency credentials, memorized recovery information and used it to access wallets.
His initial account involved roughly 10 to 12 transactions, considerably fewer than the number later established through the investigation.
The government said his actions compromised investigations involving criminal organizations and foreign adversaries. According to the agreed statement of facts, the thefts interfered with FBI operations and exposed sensitive methods used to collect intelligence.
Stolen crypto funds used to repay personal debts
After taking control of the cryptocurrency, Yaroch converted portions into other digital assets and moved the funds through additional transactions to conceal their origin and ownership.
Between November 25, 2025, and January 13, 2026, he transferred approximately $93,082 into one of his financial accounts before moving the money between other accounts.
Prosecutors said he used some of those funds to cover personal expenses and outstanding debts, including credit card bills, vehicle payments and other loans.
The money laundering transactions formed a separate part of the criminal case, with authorities identifying the movement and conversion of stolen cryptocurrency as attempts to disguise where the funds originated.
His conduct affected more than the owners of the cryptocurrency wallets. Prosecutors said the unauthorized transfers disrupted investigations involving criminal groups and foreign intelligence targets, including operations that depended on confidential financial information.
According to the Justice Department, Yaroch’s activities compromised FBI sources and investigative methods while limiting the bureau’s ability to carry out its public safety and national security responsibilities.
The department did not identify the foreign countries involved or disclose the names of the affected investigations in its announcement.
Former agent consulted ChatGPT about moving to Portugal
Beyond using the stolen cryptocurrency to repay debts, Yaroch considered leaving the United States and establishing a new life in Europe, according to prosecutors.
Court documents show that he consulted ChatGPT about investment returns and potential destinations within the European Union.
After the chatbot suggested buying a vineyard in Portugal, Yaroch began taking steps toward establishing a presence in the country.
On June 15, 2026, he granted power of attorney to Portuguese lawyers, authorizing them to represent him before the country’s Tax and Customs Authority.
The arrangement allowed the lawyers to register him with the tax authority, obtain a Portuguese tax identification number and collect credentials for accessing his online finance account.
Yaroch subsequently made plans to travel to Portugal in September 2026. However, authorities arrested him in July, bringing his planned relocation to an end.
The earlier investigation reportedly recovered approximately $925,000 in cryptocurrency from accounts associated with Yaroch after he disclosed his activities to federal authorities.
FBI crypto theft case moves toward March 2027 sentencing
Following the guilty plea, the case will proceed to sentencing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Yaroch faces up to 20 years in prison, although the court will determine his actual sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other applicable statutory considerations.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos and FBI Washington Field Office Counterintelligence Division Special Agent in Charge Daniel S. Wierzbicki announced the plea after Judge Giles accepted it.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Robeson and Russell Carlberg are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Office of the Inspector General.
The case is recorded under number 1:26-CR-208, with Yaroch’s sentencing hearing scheduled for March 4, 2027.
