Former FBI agent pleads guilty to stealing $2.47M in crypto from 35 probes

Patrick Yaroch, a former FBI agent, has pleaded guilty to stealing about $2.47 million in cryptocurrency. The Block reports that the thefts came from crypto wallets linked to 35 investigations. Decrypt reports that he emptied those wallets using login credentials the FBI had gathered during its own work.

The case shows how misuse of investigators' access to sensitive data can cause direct losses. Both outlets say he must repay no less than $2.4 million in restitution. Under the plea terms described by The Block, he will also give up any profit he might later earn from telling his story.

Decrypt also reports that, after the thefts, Yaroch used ChatGPT to ask for advice about moving to Europe. The sources do not say whether the chatbot's answers had any bearing on the case.

The sources agree on the core facts: the guilty plea, the 35 investigations and the restitution figure. They differ on the exact sum stolen, which one headline gives as $2.5 million and the other as $2.47 million. Neither excerpt gives a sentencing date, so the final penalty is still unknown.