FBI Agent Fired After Allegedly Using Government Info to Steal $1M in Crypto

FBI Agent Patrick Steven Yaroch was arrested on July 31 for allegedly misusing government information to transfer around $1 million in cryptocurrency from foreign targets' wallets. The funds were transferred into a personal Kraken account, and investigators found that Yaroch had used FBI systems to search for wallet passphrases.

The agent reportedly became frustrated with the lack of disruption to cryptocurrency activity tied to an unnamed adversarial nation and began searching for ways to exploit this information. He allegedly completed between 10 and 12 transfers into his personal account, with the exact amount unclear due to mixing with his own funds.

Yaroch contacted a Justice Department employee on July 28, stating that his conduct was 'eating him up inside.' He later admitted to investigators that he had 'f***ed up.'