Nikolas Sargeant
TL;DR
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FBI supervisory special agent Patrick Steven Yarmoch has been arrested and accused of stealing more than $1 million in cryptocurrency.
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Prosecutors allege he accessed crypto keys from FBI systems and transferred digital assets from accounts connected to foreign individuals under investigation.
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Yarmoch reportedly used platforms including Kraken and the Sui-based DeFi platform Suilend to move the funds.
A former FBI supervisory special agent who worked in the agency’s counterintelligence division has been arrested and accused of stealing more than $1 million worth of cryptocurrency from digital asset accounts connected to foreign individuals investigated by the bureau.
According to a federal court filing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Patrick Steven Yarmoch allegedly accessed cryptocurrency keys stored within FBI systems and used them to make multiple transfers into accounts he controlled.
Investigators claim the transfers occurred across as many as 12 separate transactions involving crypto wallets linked to individuals connected to FBI investigations.
Former Counterintelligence Agent Reportedly Turned Himself In
Yarmoch, who previously held a top-secret security clearance, allegedly reported himself to FBI colleagues before his arrest.
The court filing states that he worked as a supervisory special agent at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., within the agency’s counterintelligence and espionage division.
His responsibilities included investigations involving an unnamed foreign adversary nation. Before moving to headquarters, Yarmoch spent several years working in Boston as part of a national security unit focused on the same area of investigation.
The FBI suspended him before terminating his employment and arresting him on July 31.
Crypto Transactions Allegedly Routed Through Kraken and Suilend
Investigators said Yarmoch used cryptocurrency platforms including Kraken and Suilend, a decentralized finance ecosystem built on the Sui blockchain, through a Slush wallet.
The alleged activity involved transferring digital assets from accounts associated with foreign individuals who had been investigated by Yarmoch during his FBI career.
The case highlights ongoing concerns among law enforcement agencies about insider access risks involving sensitive cryptocurrency-related investigations.
During searches of Yarmoch’s electronic devices, investigators reportedly discovered queries he had made to artificial intelligence applications.
One alleged query 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?"
The AI response reportedly identified Portugal as a potential destination.
Investigators also found travel plans involving Yarmoch and his family to visit Portugal the following month. The filing states that he had recently traveled to Germany, Portugal, and Grenada without reporting those trips internally, allegedly violating FBI requirements.
Following his arrest, Yarmoch was placed in detention in Alexandria, Virginia. The allegations remain part of an ongoing federal investigation, and the charges against him will proceed through the court system.
