Overview
- A former supervisory special agent of the FBI faces charges for allegedly stealing close to $1 million in cryptocurrency.
- Prosecutors claim he diverted funds from wallets related to FBI investigations into his personal accounts.
- Court documents reveal he sought guidance from ChatGPT on how to invest the stolen funds and relocate to Europe.
Patrick Steven Yaroch, a former supervisory special agent at the FBI, has been charged with the theft of nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency linked to FBI counterintelligence inquiries. Court filings indicate that he later consulted ChatGPT for investment advice regarding the misappropriated funds and for assistance in moving abroad.
On Friday, Yaroch was charged with the interstate transport of stolen goods and receiving stolen property. Prosecutors allege that the thefts took place between early 2025 and July 2026 during his tenure in the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, where he held a Top Secret security clearance.
According to prosecutors, on July 28, 2026, Yaroch reached out to a Department of Justice employee via Signal to arrange a meeting concerning personal issues. “Upon meeting DOJ Employee 1 at FBI headquarters, Yaroch immediately started to break down as he told his story,” the complaint states.
Investigators report that Yaroch confessed to accessing FBI databases to retrieve cryptocurrency wallet seed phrases associated with investigations involving an unidentified foreign adversary. He reportedly memorized these recovery phrases, set up his own cryptocurrency wallet, and executed approximately ten transfers of funds into accounts he controlled, ultimately amassing around $1 million.
During searches of his residence and electronic devices, authorities discovered a Trezor hardware wallet and handwritten cryptocurrency seed phrases. The affidavit details that agents located a Kraken account with roughly $188,570, which included about $166,000 in U.S. dollars and nearly $18,000 in USDC, along with smaller amounts of Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Additionally, investigators retrieved several conversations with ChatGPT from Yaroch's phone. One exchange from May 28 involved him asking how to invest or utilize $1 million "to maximize profit and return." Less than a week later, he inquired about the steps necessary to leave the U.S. and establish residency or citizenship in a European Union nation. Subsequent searches revealed questions about visa requirements for Americans transiting through Turkey and assistance with drafting a follow-up email regarding job opportunities and life in Greece.
Evidence of a planned family trip to Portugal, power-of-attorney documents linked to Portugal, and previously undisclosed foreign travel were also found. Prosecutors argue that this evidence, along with Yaroch's confessions and the recovered cryptocurrency, provides sufficient grounds for his arrest on July 31.
“FBI WF Agents mentioned to Yaroch that they located the power of attorney forms for Portugal. Yaroch stated he was not planning to funnel money into Portugal,” the complaint noted. “Yaroch told FBI WF Agents that his family had a trip planned to Portugal in September 2026 to meet friends. Yaroch realized he might not be able to attend the trip but stated he hoped his wife and child would still go on the trip.”