Ex-FBI Agent Pleads Guilty to Stealing $2.47M in Crypto in 35 Cases

Former FBI agent Patrick Yaroch, 37, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. According to crypto.news, he moved $2,474,380.66 in cryptocurrency in about 100 transfers, using wallet credentials gathered in 35 FBI investigations. Sentencing is set for March 4, 2027; the maximum penalty is 20 years in prison.

Details

Yaroch worked in the FBI's Boston division from 2017 and later in counterintelligence. He obtained wallet credentials through his job, and the funds came from accounts of investigative subjects, foreign adversaries and at least one wallet created for an FBI operation. Bitcoin.com reports that he ran the proceeds through a chain of transactions to hide their origin and used them to pay credit card and car bills.

He came forward himself on July 29, 2026, telling a former Justice Department colleague about roughly 10⁠–⁠12 transfers worth under $1M. About $925,000 has already been forfeited to the government, crypto.news says. The outlets differ on the exact hearing date (Nov. 5⁠–⁠7), so we do not give one; the amount, case count and charges match across them.

What this means for the market

The case does not affect the price of bitcoin. It shows that wallet keys and seed phrases that reach investigators are a weak point: without split access and oversight, one employee can move funds unnoticed. For the live price, see the daily brief.