WirepolicyBrief
Ex-FBI Agent’s Plea Puts Crypto Theft at $2.47 Million, Over Twice What He First Told the FBI
Patrick Yaroch admitted to about 100 transfers out of wallets connected to 35 FBI cases. In July, he told FBI headquarters he had made about 10, into a wallet holding roughly $1 million, an August affidavit says.
Brief
A former FBI agent from Ashburn, Virginia, 37, entered a guilty plea on November 5 covering wire fraud and money laundering charges. Prosecutors say he took about $2.47 million in crypto by using login details he could reach through bureau systems. Starting no later than December 2024, he pulled funds from wallets tied to 35 FBI investigations in roughly 100 transfers. Among the wallets were ones linked to other probe subjects, hostile foreign actors and a wallet the FBI had built for an operation. The agreed facts say the thefts damaged several cases against criminal groups and hostile governments and exposed sources and methods. The total is more than double the figure he gave FBI headquarters in July, when he described about $1 million held untouched in one personal wallet. Sentencing is scheduled for March 4, 2027, and the maximum penalty is 20 years.
Why it matters: The case shows how insider access to wallet credentials can reach sensitive government investigations, raising security concerns across crypto.
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