FBI Agent Accused of Stealing $900K in Cryptocurrency

An FBI agent has been accused of stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from accounts the agency was monitoring. According to court records, Patrick Steven Yaroch became frustrated with what he saw as government inaction over the misuse of crypto accounts and allegedly transferred the holdings to his personal account.

The FBI fired Yaroch and arrested him last week on charges related to the interstate transport of stolen goods and the receipt of stolen goods. An affidavit in Yaroch's case states that he was part of the FBI's national security investigative squad focused on an 'adversarial nation' and grew frustrated when he could not do more to disrupt an unnamed person's use of crypto accounts.

Yaroch allegedly used his internal agency access to transfer the cryptocurrency, which is valued at over $900,000. The affidavit also includes emotional details gathered from interviews with Yaroch and a former colleague from the FBI's Boston Division in which Yaroch confided, 'I (expletive) up.'

The FBI said it immediately took action when it became aware of the allegations and began an investigation, ultimately executing an arrest warrant for Yaroch last week. The agency stated that it holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and that this conduct is not tolerated.