Former FBI agent charged with stealing nearly $1m in crypto from Russian target

Former FBI supervisory special agent Patrick Steven Yaroch was charged in Virginia with stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from wallets linked to a Russian investigative target. The criminal complaint alleges he used FBI systems to access and transfer funds between January 2025 and July 2026. Yaroch allegedly memorized seed phrases from FBI files, created a personal wallet, and moved funds 10-12 times. He later confessed, saying the shame was 'eating him up inside.' Investigators seized approximately $925,426 from his accounts. He was dismissed and arrested on July 31.

A former FBI supervisory special agent, Patrick Steven Yaroch, was charged in Virginia with stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from wallets linked to a Russian investigative target. The criminal complaint, covering conduct from at least January 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026, charges Yaroch with interstate transportation and receipt of stolen goods, securities, and monies. Yaroch worked in the FBI's Boston Division from approximately 2017 to 2025, assigned to a national security squad investigating an individual from an adversarial nation, later identified as Russia. He allegedly became frustrated in late 2024 that the FBI could not disrupt the target's cryptocurrency use, so he searched internal FBI holdings for wallet credentials, memorized seed phrases, created a personal wallet, and transferred funds 10 to 12 times. He told FBI personnel he decided to 'take matters into his own hands.' Investigators found he moved approximately $1.02 million into a Suilend account and held about $188,570 in Kraken. On July 31, he signed a consent form, and the FBI transferred about $925,426 to government wallets. Yaroch confessed to a Justice Department employee on July 29, saying the shame was 'eating him up inside.' He was dismissed and arrested on July 31. The FBI stated the conduct is not tolerated.