Ex-FBI Agent Stole $2.5M in Crypto, Faces Up to 20 Years

Patrick Steven Yaroch, a 37-year-old former FBI counterintelligence agent, admitted to wire fraud and money laundering in a scheme that generated $2,474,380.66 in stolen cryptocurrency. The case was detailed in a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Yaroch used his investigative position and access to FBI systems to execute approximately 100 fraudulent transfers connected to 35 FBI investigations. He then exchanged and laundered the stolen digital assets through financial transactions to conceal their source and ownership. His unauthorized transfers involving roughly $1 million in cryptocurrency had previously been reported in August.

Prosecutors said Yaroch used some of the proceeds to pay off his debts before planning a new life in Portugal, where he intended to purchase a vineyard. The thefts compromised investigations involving criminal organizations and unidentified adversarial nations, according to the statement.

Yaroch could receive up to 20 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for March 4, 2027.