FBI Agent Arrested for Stealing Cryptocurrency from Russian Target
FBI Agent Arrested for Stealing $1 Million in Cryptocurrency
A counterintelligence agent with the FBI's Boston Division has been charged with stealing approximately $1 million worth of cryptocurrency from a Russian target. The agent, Patrick Yaroch, allegedly became frustrated with the FBI's inability to act against adversarial cryptocurrency accounts and decided to take matters into his own hands.
According to court documents, Yaroch informed investigators that he had been in possession of the cryptocurrency since last year and made up to a dozen transfers totaling just under $1 million from the Russian target. However, agents recovered only $925,426 after searching his home in Ashburn, Virginia.
The complaint also refers to Yaroch's recent trips to Germany and Portugal, where he conducted unreported foreign travel on at least two occasions without reporting it to the FBI. Yaroch claimed to have no plans to transfer any of the money to Portugal.