A former FBI agent who admitted stealing almost $1 million in cryptocurrency was released to the custody of his parents Wednesday.
Patrick Yaroch was fired last week after telling the FBI he “screwed up.”
A magistrate judge gave him credit for self-reporting his behavior Wednesday. She said the allegation is serious, but Yaroch did the right thing by telling the FBI what he did. Otherwise, the bureau might never have found out.
The former counterintelligence agent is charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods and receipt of stolen goods, namely a cryptocurrency account the complaint says was tied to an adversarial nation. Two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News that nation is Russia.
“In approximately November 2024, during his investigative work, YAROCH was exposed to adversarial cryptocurrency accounts,” the complaint says. “At this point, YAROCH described himself as ‘spinning out of control.’ YAROCH claimed he was frustrated that the FBI could not or would not act against adversarial cryptocurrency accounts.”
In court Wednesday, prosecutors said YAROCH could be facing additional charges but did not specify what those charges could be.
There’s also intrigue into Yaroch’s recent travel to Germany and Portugal. In the complaint says, “According to FBI SecD, YAROCH conducted unreported foreign travel on at least two occasions in 2026. On May 14, 2026, YAROCH traveled from Washington, DC to Germany and did not report it to the FBI, which is a security requirement. On May 25, 2026, YAROCH returned to Washington, DC from Portugal, and did not report it.”
“FBI WF Agents located documents related to power-of-attorney for YAROCH and his wife dated June 15, 2026,” the complaint says. “YAROCH’s document provided power-of-attorney to two lawyers in Portugal ‘with the power to sub-delegate, the broadest powers permitted by law, as well as special and necessary powers to represent him before the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority (AT).”
Yaroch told the FBI he had no plans to funnel money to Portugal.
As part of the conditions of release, he will be confined to his house in Ashburn, Virginia, and must put up a $50,000 bond.
