Former FBI agent admits stealing $2.47 million in cryptocurrency

Yaroch, 37, used cryptocurrency wallet credentials gathered during FBI investigations to take funds from accounts belonging to investigative subjects and foreign adversaries, as well as from a wallet created for an FBI operation, according to the Justice Department. The total identified by prosecutors was $2,474,380.66, more than the roughly $1 million first reported when the activity came to light.

Court documents say Yaroch worked in the FBI’s Boston Division from 2017 to early 2025, then moved to its Counterintelligence and Espionage Division in February 2025. Prosecutors said the thefts began no later than December 2024. He accessed wallets using credentials associated with investigations outside his authorized work. An FBI affidavit said he searched investigative records, memorized recovery information and used it to get into the wallets.

Yaroch converted some of the cryptocurrency into other digital assets and moved it through additional transactions to obscure its origin. From November 25, 2025, to January 13, 2026, he transferred about $93,082 into one of his financial accounts, then moved the money among other accounts. Prosecutors said he spent some of it on personal expenses and debts, including credit card bills, vehicle payments and loans.

The Justice Department said the transfers disrupted investigations involving criminal organizations and foreign intelligence targets, compromised sources and investigative methods, and hindered FBI operations. The department did not name the countries or investigations involved. Yaroch also consulted ChatGPT about investment returns and possible destinations in the European Union. After it suggested buying a vineyard in Portugal, he authorized Portuguese lawyers on June 15, 2026, to register him with the country’s tax authority and obtain a tax identification number. He planned to travel there in September, but was arrested in July. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted his plea. Yaroch faces up to 20 years in prison; the court will determine the sentence.