FBI Agent Fired After Confessing to Stealing $1 Million in Crypto
A high-ranking FBI agent has been fired and charged after confessing to siphoning approximately $1 million in cryptocurrency from a suspect's digital accounts. The passcodes used for access were gathered during an overseas investigation by the same agency.
The agent, Patrick Yaroch, was arrested over the weekend and charged with interstate transfer of stolen goods. Notably, he has not been charged with theft itself.
A confession that started with guilt, Yaroch told a Department of Justice employee that the situation 'was eating him up inside' and that he wanted to get it 'off his chest.' The affidavit details how Yaroch made 10-12 withdrawals from digital accounts tied to a suspect in the overseas case.
The ChatGPT search history revealed by investigators paints a picture of someone already considering what to do with the money. Yaroch asked the chatbot: 'If I had a million dollars, how would you suggest investing it/spending it to maximize profit and return?' In June, he followed up with another query: 'If you had a bucket of money (around $1 million) and you wanted to leave the USA and become a resident or citizen of an EU country, what would you do?'