Federal prosecutors have secured a guilty plea from a former FBI agent accused of stealing nearly $2.5 million in cryptocurrency by exploiting access to sensitive investigation records.
Patrick Steven Yaroch, 37, of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty on November 5th, 2026, to wire fraud and money laundering, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Yaroch worked on an FBI squad focused on an adversarial nation-state before moving in 2025 to the Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, where he gained access to cryptocurrency credentials collected during multiple probes.
Court records show he executed roughly 100 unauthorized transfers tied to 35 separate investigations between December 2024 and July 2026, collecting about $2,474,380.66.
“Beginning no later than December 2024, Yaroch used his position to steal cryptocurrency from wallets controlled by the subjects of various other investigations or by adversarial nation-state actors, and from at least one wallet the FBI created to use in an operation.”
He swapped the stolen cryptocurrency for other digital assets and moved funds through various accounts, including a $93,082 series of transfers used to pay personal debts such as credit cards and loans.
Yaroch also consulted an AI chatbot about investment strategies and relocating abroad, which led him to arrange a vineyard purchase in Portugal through a power of attorney granted in June 2026.
His conduct undermined active FBI cases involving criminal groups and nation-state actors while exposing investigative sources and methods.
Sentencing is set for March 4th, 2027, and the charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
