Former FBI agent Patrick Steven Yaroch has been arrested and charged with stealing nearly $1 million in crypto from counterintelligence investigations. Yaroch, who held a Top Secret clearance, allegedly confessed to colleagues. Investigators found he used ChatGPT for advice on investing the money and relocating to Europe, with evidence of travel plans to Portugal.
Cryptocurrency theft charges
- ▪Yaroch allegedly stole the funds by memorizing recovery seed phrases from FBI systems and making about 10 transfers to his own accounts
- ▪Yaroch held a "Top Secret" security clearance and stole funds from wallets tied to investigations of an unnamed "adversary nation."
- ▪The charges against Patrick Steven Yaroch include interstate transportation of stolen goods and receipt of stolen goods
- ▪The alleged thefts occurred between early 2025 and July 2026 while Yaroch worked in the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division
- ▪Patrick Steven Yaroch, a former FBI supervisory special agent, has been charged with stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency
FBI agent confession
- ▪Patrick Steven Yaroch reportedly told a Department of Justice employee that his actions were "eating him up inside."
- ▪On July 28, 2026, Patrick Steven Yaroch confessed to a Department of Justice employee at FBI headquarters
- ▪After his confession, Yaroch was fired and arrested on July 31, 2026, and is being held in detention in Alexandria, Virginia
ChatGPT relocation queries
- ▪Yaroch asked ChatGPT how to invest $1 million and how to leave the U.S. to become a resident or citizen of an EU country
- ▪Investigators found conversations on Patrick Steven Yaroch's phone where he asked the AI tool ChatGPT for advice
- ▪In response to his query, ChatGPT allegedly suggested Portugal as a favored destination for relocation
Evidence recovery
- ▪During a search, investigators recovered a Trezor hardware wallet and handwritten cryptocurrency seed phrases
- ▪A Kraken account linked to Yaroch was found with a balance of about $188,570, primarily in US dollars and USDC
- ▪An FBI review showed Yaroch had previously transferred approximately $1 million to Suilend, a DeFi service on the Sui blockchain
Portugal travel plans
- ▪Investigators found evidence of a planned family trip to Portugal for September 2026 and power-of-attorney documents for the country
- ▪Yaroch told agents he was not planning to funnel money into Portugal and hoped his family could still take the planned trip
- ▪Yaroch had taken recent, unreported trips to Germany, Portugal, and Grenada, in violation of FBI rules
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