Former FBI Agent Admits to $2.47 Million Crypto Theft

Brief

By Dextape Desk · November 8, 2026

A former FBI agent, Patrick Steven Yaroch, 37, has admitted to taking nearly $2.5 million in crypto from wallets tied to federal probes. Prosecutors say he used his FBI system access to obtain wallet credentials, then moved the funds. The alleged scheme involved about 100 unauthorized transfers tied to 35 investigations, generating $2,474,380.66. Some wallets belonged to fraud victims, others to two unnamed hostile states, and one had received FBI funding for an operation. Yaroch allegedly moved funds through several cryptocurrencies and services and spent part of it on settling credit card debt and vehicle bills. He had weighed relocating to Portugal. He faces up to 20 years per count, with sentencing set for March 4, 2027, and has agreed to repay at least $2.4 million.

Why it matters: The case shows how investigators' access to wallet data can be abused, raising questions about how governments safeguard seized digital assets.

Summary by Dextape, based on reporting by Bitcoinist. Machine-written from Bitcoinist’s report and checked against it · How Dextape writes