FBI agent accused of stealing $1 million in crypto — and he even consulted ChatGPT on how to leave the country

A former FBI counterintelligence supervisor, Patrick Steven Yaroch, has been charged with stealing approximately $1 million in cryptocurrency and attempting to leave the United States. Yaroch, who held a Top Secret security clearance and worked on national security cases against Russia, allegedly accessed and memorized seed phrases from FBI systems to move the funds without resorting to hacking.

He made several transfers to his own wallet, totaling roughly 10-12 transactions, without breaking any encryption or protocols due to the lack of security measures in place for his clearance level.

In November 2024, Yaroch reported the theft to a Justice Department employee and later turned himself in to FBI colleagues, expressing frustration that the FBI had not acted on the accounts. He cooperated with investigators and provided details about his actions, including a list of his wallet seed phrases. However, his defense contradicts his reported motive, as he claimed to have grown frustrated with the FBI's inaction and decided to act on his own.

ChatGPT conversations recovered from Yaroch's phone revealed a different thought process. He sought advice on investing or spending a million dollars for maximum profit, as well as how to leave the United States and gain EU residency. These discussions indicate that his actions were not driven by financial gain but rather by a desire to leave the country.

The FBI identified Yaroch's activities through his interactions with ChatGPT, which included requests for visa information for traveling to Greece and Portugal, as well as inquiries about drafting an email for a job opportunity in Greece. Additionally, investigators found evidence of Yaroch's unreported travel to Germany, Portugal, and Grenada, all of which violated FBI reporting rules.

He also made investments in various cryptocurrencies, including Suilend on the Sui blockchain, and Kraken, but ultimately transferred a significant portion of the funds back to government wallets, leaving only a small amount behind.

Yaroch is charged under federal criminal code sections 2314 and 2315, which pertain to transporting and receiving stolen goods. He has not been charged with espionage, computer fraud, or theft of government property, as the stolen assets were not government-owned. This case raises questions about the effectiveness of security protocols within federal agencies when it comes to monitoring and handling cryptocurrencies, given their increasing presence in various operations.