A former FBI supervisory special agent has been arrested and charged with stealing approximately $1 million in cryptocurrency from wallets connected to a national security investigation — fun
A former FBI supervisory special agent has been arrested and charged with stealing approximately $1 million in cryptocurrency from wallets connected to a national security investigation — funds he allegedly siphoned using his own top-secret clearance, then researched how to invest and use to relocate to Europe with help from ChatGPT.
The case, unsealed in federal court this week, offers a rare window into how artificial intelligence tools are now surfacing as evidence in white-collar and national security prosecutions.
Who Was Charged and With What
Patrick Steven Yaroch, of Ashburn, Virginia, was arrested and fired from the FBI on Friday, August 1, 2026, following a raid on his home. Prosecutors filed charges against him in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for interstate transportation of stolen goods, securities, and monies, and receipt of stolen goods, securities, and monies. Yaroch had served as a supervisory special agent within the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division and, according to court documents, held a Top Secret security clearance throughout the period of the alleged theft.
How the Theft Allegedly Happened
According to the criminal affidavit, Yaroch was assigned to a national security investigative squad in the FBI’s Boston field office, working a case tied to an adversarial nation that two sources told NBC News was Russia. In the course of that investigation, Yaroch came across cryptocurrency wallets and holdings connected to the target of the probe.
Rather than seizing or freezing the funds through official channels, Yaroch allegedly grew increasingly frustrated that the FBI “could not or would not act” to disrupt the adversarial account’s use of cryptocurrency. Investigators say that starting in late 2024 or early 2025, Yaroch decided to “take matters into his own hands.” Using his government database access and top-secret clearance, he allegedly located and memorized passphrases tied to the adversarial cryptocurrency wallets, then created his own personal wallet and began transferring funds out — reportedly executing between 10 and 12 separate transactions that moved roughly $1 million into accounts he personally controlled.
The ChatGPT Trail
Perhaps the most striking element of the case is how much of the evidence against Yaroch reportedly came from his own conversations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to the affidavit, Yaroch asked the AI chatbot in one exchange: “If I had a million dollars, how would you suggest investing it/spending it to maximize profit and return?” ChatGPT’s response was tailored to details Yaroch had apparently shared about his own life, reportedly replying with guidance referencing someone “at 37, with a young family, a goal of potentially retiring around 40, and a clear interest in eventually building a slower-living vineyard/agricultural lifestyle in places like Cilento or Portugal’s Dão region.” In a separate exchange dated June 26, 2026, investigators say Yaroch used ChatGPT to help draft an email related to a job opportunity in Greece, further suggesting he was actively exploring relocation and employment options abroad in the weeks before his arrest.
Evidence of a Planned Departure
Beyond the AI chat logs, investigators uncovered a substantial paper trail suggesting Yaroch was preparing to leave the country. The FBI found round-trip flight bookings for Yaroch, his wife, and child to travel to Portugal in September 2026, along with a power-of-attorney document authorizing two Portuguese lawyers to represent him before that country’s tax and customs authority and assist him in obtaining a Portuguese tax identification number.
Investigators also identified previously undisclosed international travel by Yaroch to Germany, Portugal, and Grenada between May and July 2026 — trips federal employees holding his level of security clearance are typically required to report in advance, which Yaroch allegedly failed to do.
The Confession
The case against Yaroch reportedly began unraveling after he confided in a Department of Justice colleague. On the afternoon of July 28, 2026, Yaroch contacted the colleague via the encrypted messaging app Signal and asked to meet to discuss personal matters, according to the affidavit. During that conversation, and in a subsequent interview with FBI investigators at his home, Yaroch allegedly admitted to the thefts. According to court documents, when agents interviewed him, Yaroch told them plainly: “I f***ed up.”
What Was Seized
When agents executed the search warrant at Yaroch’s Ashburn home on August 1, they seized $925,426.07 in cryptocurrency from his personal wallets and accounts, along with a Trezor hardware wallet, handwritten seed phrases, the Portuguese power-of-attorney documents, his electronics, and both his personal and diplomatic passports.
The FBI’s Response
An FBI spokesperson issued a brief statement to CNN following the arrest: “As soon as the FBI became aware of these allegations, we immediately took action, began an investigation, and ultimately executed an arrest warrant for this individual last week. We hold our employees to the highest ethical standards, and this conduct is not tolerated at the FBI. We are conducting a thorough investigation in the aftermath, and as this is an ongoing matter, we will have no further comment.” No attorney for Yaroch was listed in initial court filings; a federal public defender representing him has declined to comment publicly on the case.
Part of a Broader Pattern in the Intelligence Community
Yaroch’s arrest is not an isolated incident. It follows closely on the heels of a separate case involving a CIA official, David Rush, who was arrested in June 2026 and accused of stealing more than $40 million, allegedly converting the proceeds into gold bars and luxury watches. Taken together, the two cases have intensified scrutiny of internal financial oversight within U.S. intelligence agencies, particularly regarding personnel with privileged access to sensitive financial intelligence involving cryptocurrency.
Why This Case Matters
Beyond the individual allegations, the case highlights a broader shift in how digital evidence — including AI chatbot conversation logs — is now being used to build criminal cases. The FBI’s ability to reconstruct Yaroch’s financial planning, relocation research, and state of mind through his ChatGPT queries illustrates how everyday AI tool usage is increasingly becoming discoverable evidence in federal investigations, a development likely to draw continued attention as AI assistants become further embedded in daily life, including among those with access to the country’s most sensitive financial and intelligence systems.
