FBI Agent Fired, Arrested Over $900K Crypto Theft

An FBI agent has been accused of stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from accounts being monitored by the agency. Patrick Steven Yaroch, a member of the FBI's national security investigative squad, allegedly became frustrated with the government's inaction over the misuse of crypto accounts and decided to take matters into his own hands.

The agent came across the crypto holdings while investigating an 'adversarial nation' and grew 'frustrated when he could not do more to disrupt' their use, according to an affidavit. Using his internal agency access, Yaroch allegedly transferred the crypto 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 attorney for Yaroch was not listed in court records, but an email associated with Yaroch has been contacted for comment.