Former FBI agent charged with stealing $1M in crypto, sought ChatGPT advice

A former FBI supervisory special agent has been charged with stealing nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from wallets tied to FBI counterintelligence investigations, according to court documents that also detail how he later asked ChatGPT for advice on investing the money and relocating overseas.

On Friday, Patrick Steven Yaroch was charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods and receipt of stolen goods. Prosecutors allege the thefts occurred between early 2025 and July 2026 while Yaroch worked in the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division and held a Top Secret security clearance.

“During the afternoon of July 28, 2026, Yaroch contacted DOJ Employee 1 via Signal and requested to meet to discuss personal matters,” prosecutors said in the complaint. “Upon meeting DOJ Employee 1 at FBI headquarters, Yaroch immediately started to break down as he told his story.”

According to investigators, Yaroch admitted he accessed FBI systems to obtain cryptocurrency wallet seed phrases connected to investigations involving an unnamed foreign adversary. He allegedly memorized the recovery phrases, created his own cryptocurrency wallet, and transferred funds into accounts under his control about 10 times. He told investigators the holdings eventually grew to about $1 million.

During searches of his home and devices, investigators recovered a Trezor hardware wallet and handwritten cryptocurrency seed phrases. According to the affidavit, agents found a Kraken account with a balance of about $188,570, including roughly $166,000 in U.S. dollars and nearly $18,000 in USDC, along with small amounts of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Investigators also recovered several ChatGPT conversations from Yaroch's phone. According to the affidavit, on May 28 he asked how he should invest or spend $1 million "to maximize profit and return." Less than a week later, he asked what someone with about $1 million should do to leave the U.S. and become a resident or citizen of a European Union country. Later searches included whether Americans need a visa when connecting through Turkey and help drafting a follow-up email about a job opportunity and life in Greece.

Investigators also found evidence of a planned family trip to Portugal, power-of-attorney documents related to Portugal, and what prosecutors described as previously unreported foreign travel. Prosecutors argue the evidence, along with Yaroch's admissions and the recovered cryptocurrency, established probable cause 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 said. “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.”