Former FBI Agent Charged With Stealing Nearly $1 Million in Crypto and Using ChatGPT for Investment Advice
A former FBI supervisory special agent, Patrick Steven Yaroch, was charged with interstate transportation and receipt of stolen goods after allegedly stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from wallets tied to FBI counterintelligence investigations. Prosecutors say he used his access in the FBI Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, memorized wallet seed phrases, created his own wallet, and moved funds into accounts he controlled about 10 times between early 2025 and July 2026. He allegedly later admitted the thefts to investigators. Searches of his home and devices reportedly found a Trezor wallet, handwritten seed phrases, and a Kraken account holding about $188,570 in cash and crypto. Investigators also found ChatGPT chats in which he asked how to invest $1 million for maximum return and how to leave the U.S. for a European Union country. Prosecutors cited additional evidence of possible overseas planning, including Portugal-related documents and travel plans.
