FBI agent stole $2.5 million in crypto from hackers under investigation

A former FBI agent has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $2.5 million from the wallets of fraud victims and nation-state hackers under investigation.

37-year-old Patrick Steven Yaroch worked on a national security investigative squad at the FBI Boston Division (FBI BS) from 2017 to 2025, and as a supervisory special agent in the FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ) Counterintelligence and Espionage Division (CED) between February 2025 and July 2026.

He was arrested on July 31 at his residence after self-reporting the crypto theft to Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division (NSD) and FBIHQ employees on July 29. The FBI fired Yaroch on July 31, 2026, after first placing him on administrative leave on July 29.

Yaroch pleaded guilty on Thursday to wire fraud and money laundering charges, admitting that he used passphrases (obtained from the FBI's case management systems and another platform used to share investigative data) to transfer funds from the cryptocurrency wallets of fraud victims or suspects under FBI investigation to his own wallets.