Former FBI agent pleads guilty to Cryptocurrency theft

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A former FBI agent from Ashburn pled guilty today to wire fraud and money laundering related to using his access to steal cryptocurrency.

According to court documents, from 2017 through early 2025, Patrick Steven Yaroch, 37, worked at the FBI Boston Division on an investigative squad focused on an adversarial nation state. From February 2025 to July 31, 2026, Yaroch worked in the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, with access to FBI systems that contained cryptocurrency credentials that the FBI had collected as part of its investigations.

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. Throughout his wire fraud scheme, Yaroch conducted approximately 100 fraudulent transfers using credentials related to 35 separate FBI investigations. He illicitly gained approximately $2,474,380.66 in fraudulent proceeds.

Once Yaroch moved the stolen cryptocurrency, he would exchange it for a different type of cryptocurrency. Yaroch then laundered the cryptocurrency through additional financial transactions to obfuscate its source, nature, and ownership. Between Nov. 25, 2025, and Jan. 13, 2026, Yaroch transferred approximately $93,082 to one of his accounts, then transferred the funds between his other accounts from which he sent various payments to cover his debts, including credit cards, car payments, and other loans.

In addition to paying off his debts, Yaroch intended to use the fraudulent proceeds to make other purchases, including financing a new life abroad. Yaroch asked ChatGPT how to maximize profit from investments and where to live in the European Union. Following ChatGPT's suggestion of buying a vineyard in Portugal, on June 15, 2026, Yaroch provided a power-of-attorney to lawyers in Portugal to represent him before the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority, to register him and obtain his tax identification number in Portugal, and to collect the password to access his finance portal. Yaroch then made arrangements to travel to Portugal in September 2026.

As set forth in the agreed upon statement of facts, Yaroch's actions compromised multiple FBI investigations related to both criminal groups and nation state adversaries. His actions deprived FBI employees of their ability to carry out their functions to protect public safety and national security. Yaroch's actions also compromised FBI sources and methods used in foreign intelligence collection and criminal investigations.

Yaroch is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2027. He faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Daniel S. Wierzbicki, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterintelligence Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Robeson and Russell Carlberg are prosecuting the case. The National Security Cyber Section (NatSec Cyber) of the Justice Department's National Security Division and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region provided significant assistance.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 1:26-CR-208.