Former FBI Agent Charged with Stealing $900K in Cryptocurrency from Russian Targets

A former FBI agent has been charged with theft of almost $1 million in cryptocurrency from accounts tied to criminal targets in Russia. Patrick Steven Yaroch, a supervisory FBI agent, was fired last week and arrested for interstate transportation of stolen goods and receipt of stolen goods.

According to an affidavit, Yaroch admitted to the crimes because he was 'frustrated' when he couldn't do more to disrupt the individual's use of cryptocurrency. He claimed he had researched cryptocurrency further and memorized passphrases to successfully transfer funds.

The FBI discovered that Yaroch had conducted these transfers around 10-12 times, starting in late 2024. However, he didn't know the exact amount transferred because the funds were mixed with his personal assets.