FBI Agent Stole $2.47 Million In Crypto, Asked ChatGPT How To Move To Portugal And Buy A Vineyard - BroBible
Former FBI agent Patrick Steven Yaroch, 37, has pleaded guilty to stealing $2.47 million in cryptocurrency from federal investigation accounts.
Yaroch used his access to FBI systems to make approximately 100 fraudulent cryptocurrency transfers involving 35 investigations. The individual transfers ranged from 81 cents to more than $580,000, with some stolen funds belonging to people the FBI was supposed to help.
Prosecutors described Yaroch's thefts as "indiscriminate." He then moved the stolen cryptocurrency through additional transactions and converted it into other digital currencies to conceal its origin, using some funds to pay personal debts.
Portugal Plans
According to federal investigators, Yaroch used ChatGPT to seek advice about his ill-gotten wealth. He asked, "If you had a bucket of money (around $1 million) and you wanted to leave the USA and become a resident or citizen of an EU country, what would you do?" Portugal was suggested as a potential destination where he could buy a vineyard.
If you had a bucket of money (around $1 million) and you wanted to leave the USA and become a resident or citizen of an EU country, what would you do?
Yaroch hired Portuguese attorneys to establish his affairs in the country and booked a September trip with his family, but was arrested in July before he could make the move.
Sentencing Awaits
Yaroch pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2027. He faces up to 20 years in prison. The case comes weeks after another former intelligence official, David Rush, admitted to stealing nearly $194 million through a fake CIA program.
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