U.S. FBI intelligence agent arrested in connection with theft of $1 million in crypto
A high-level FBI agent, Patrick Steven Yarmoch, has been arrested for allegedly stealing $1 million in cryptocurrency from accounts he was investigating. The agent reportedly used AI tools to plan his escape to Portugal before being caught by his own agency.
Why it matters
The case highlights internal security risks within intelligence agencies and the growing intersection of law enforcement, digital assets, and AI usage.
The high-level special agent, identified as Patrick Steven Yarmoch, allegedly turned himself in to agency colleagues, reporting that he dug crypto keys from FBI systems to make as many as a dozen transfers to himself from accounts tied to foreign individuals he'd investigated, according to an August 1 account filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Yarmoch — who held a "top secret" security clearance — had worked in counterintelligence, specifically with an investigative unit that focused on an unnamed "adversary nation," according to the court filing, which noted he was suspended for a couple of days before being fired and arrested on July 31.
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