Former FBI Agent Pleads Guilty in $2.47 Million Cryptocurrency Theft

Guilty plea in federal court

November 6, 2026 · 7:05 a.m. Central / 8:05 a.m. Eastern

A former FBI agent pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud and money laundering after using information obtained through his work to steal approximately $2.47 million in cryptocurrency, federal prosecutors said.

Patrick Steven Yaroch, 37, of Ashburn, Virginia, carried out about 100 fraudulent transfers using credentials connected to 35 separate FBI investigations, according to the Justice Department. A federal judge in Alexandria accepted the plea.

Yaroch is scheduled to be sentenced March 4, 2027. The Justice Department said he faces up to 20 years in prison; the judge will decide the sentence.

How prosecutors described the theft

Yaroch worked in the FBI’s Boston division before joining its Counterintelligence and Espionage Division in 2025, prosecutors said. His work gave him access to FBI systems containing cryptocurrency credentials collected during investigations.

Beginning no later than December 2024, he stole from wallets controlled by subjects of investigations or adversarial state actors, and from at least one wallet the FBI created for an operation, the department said. The 35 investigations refer to the credentials involved, not a count of individual victims.

According to the government, Yaroch exchanged stolen cryptocurrency for other types and moved funds through additional transactions to conceal their source. He used some proceeds to pay debts. The Washington Post reported that court documents showed some funds belonged to victims of financial crimes the FBI was investigating.

Investigations and plans

In an agreed statement of facts, prosecutors said, Yaroch’s conduct compromised multiple investigations and exposed FBI sources and methods. The department did not provide a dollar estimate for that damage.

Prosecutors also said Yaroch asked ChatGPT about investments and where to live in the European Union. After the chatbot suggested buying a vineyard in Portugal, they said, he arranged legal help to obtain a Portuguese tax identification number and planned travel there. The department described those steps as part of his plans to use the proceeds abroad.

Decrypt also reported the plea. The Justice Department’s account describes the conduct underlying the guilty plea; Yaroch has not yet been sentenced.

Case timeline

Dates are from the Justice Department’s account.

By December 2024 The thefts began, according to prosecutors.
February 2025 Yaroch moved to the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division.
November 5, 2026 A federal judge accepted his guilty plea.
March 4, 2027 Sentencing is scheduled.