Patrick Steven Yaroch (Credit: NBC4Washington)
A former FBI supervisor charged with stealing cryptocurrency during national security investigations later confessed his actions to colleagues and FBI officials, according to an affidavit.
Patrick Steven Yaroch, a former FBI supervisory special agent who worked in counterintelligence, was charged with interstate transportation of stolen property and receiving stolen property.
According to the affidavit, Yaroch had access to information about cryptocurrency wallets linked to a foreign adversary during FBI investigations. He allegedly used information stored in FBI systems to gain access to those wallets and transfer funds into cryptocurrency accounts he controlled.
Yaroch later told a Justice Department employee and FBI personnel that he began taking cryptocurrency in late 2024 or early 2025 and conducted roughly 10 to 12 transfers. According to the affidavit, he believed the value was less than $1 million. He also said he felt guilty and wanted to confess because the situation was “eating him up inside.”
He allegedly said he became frustrated during a counterintelligence investigation and decided to “take matters into his own hands” by accessing cryptocurrency tied to an adversarial nation.
The FBI began its investigation July 29 after Yaroch voluntarily reported his actions to FBI officials and submitted a self-report to the FBI’s Security Division. FBI agents later went to his home in Ashburn, Virginia, where he initially handed over a piece of paper containing information related to cryptocurrency wallet access before asking for it back. (Read more: WUSA9, 8/3/2026)