Former FBI agent Patrick Yaroch was arrested last Friday on allegations that he stole about $1 million in crypto assets from what authorities described as “hostile cryptocurrency accounts,” according to an Odaily report. An affidavit filed on Aug. 1 says Yaroch allegedly began moving the assets in late 2024 or early 2025 after discovering keys that allowed him to transfer funds from a digital wallet to himself. Yaroch told investigators he was frustrated that he could not do more to stop people tied to a “hostile nation” from using cryptocurrency and said he made roughly a dozen transfers. Justice Department documents cited in the report say Yaroch admitted to a Department of Justice employee that he had made “some very bad decisions” related to crypto wallets, and later told federal agents that he had “screwed up.” The report also says he mixed personal funds with the crypto assets and used ChatGPT to ask how to spend or invest $1 million and whether he should leave the United States for a country in Europe. The FBI fired him on July 31.
Former FBI agent Patrick Yaroch was arrested last Friday on allegations that he stole about $1 million in crypto assets from what investigators described as “hostile cryptocurrency accounts,” according to Odaily.
An affidavit filed on Aug. 1 alleges that Yaroch began moving the assets in late 2024 or early 2025. He told investigators that he had found keys that allowed him to transfer funds from a digital wallet to himself. He also said he was frustrated that he could not do more to stop people tied to a “hostile nation” from using cryptocurrency, and said he carried out roughly a dozen transfers.
Justice Department documents cited in the report say Yaroch admitted to a Department of Justice employee that he had made “some very bad decisions” involving crypto wallet matters. In a separate interview with federal agents, he also said he had “screwed up.”
Yaroch previously served as a supervisory special agent in the FBI headquarters counterintelligence and espionage section, and had earlier worked in the FBI’s Boston field office. The FBI fired him on July 31.
Investigators also said Yaroch mixed personal funds with the crypto assets and used ChatGPT to ask how to handle the money, including how to spend or invest $1 million and whether he should leave the United States for a country in Europe.
This article was originally published by Bit.Fan. For more cryptocurrency news and market insights, visit www.bit.fan. Disclaimer:
The market information, project data, and third-party content displayed on this platform are for industry information sharing only and do not constitute any form of investment advice or return commitment.
Cryptocurrency trading carries high risks. Users should fully assess their risk tolerance and make independent decisions. All profits, losses, and legal responsibilities are borne by the users themselves.
