Former FBI agent stole millions and wanted to buy vineyard in Portugal

Uthe former federal police officer of the United States (FBI) pleaded guilty at the beginning of the month to the crimes of electronic fraud and money laundering after having stolen USD 2.47 million (about EUR 2.3 million). During the investigation, it was discovered that he intended to flee to Portugal.

According to a press release from United States Department of Justice, Patrick Steven Yaroch, 37, carried out about 100 fraudulent transfers, using credentials associated with 35 separate FBI investigations. The scheme will have begun at least in December 2024.

Yaroch worked in the FBI division in Boston between 2017 and the beginning of 2025, joining a team dedicated to investigating an opposing nation-state. In February 2025, he moved to the Counterespionage and Espionage Division, where he maintained “access to agency computer systems containing credentials for access to cryptocurrency portfolios collected in his investigations.”.

It was through this access that he began “to steal cryptocurrencies from portfolios controlled by individuals who were targeted by several other investigations or by opposing nation-state agents, as well as at least one portfolio created by the FBI itself to be used in an operation.”.

“ After transferring the stolen cryptocurrencies, Yaroch converted them into another type of cryptocurrency. Subsequently, it proceeded to the laundering of digital assets through additional financial transactions, in order to hide its origin, nature and ownership”, explained the Department of Justice.

Between 25 November 2025 and 13 January 2026, he transferred approximately 93,000 dollars (about 84,000 euros) to one of his accounts, later moving the money between several bank accounts. Part of the money was used to pay off debts, “including credit cards, car payments and other loans”.

However, the Justice Department explained, “in addition to settling his debts, Yaroch intended to use the profits obtained illegally to make other purchases, including financing a new life abroad.”.

The man even asked ChatGPT “how could he maximize the profits of his investments and where it would be better to live in the European Union”. The answer was Portugal.

The artificial intelligence chatbot suggested to him the possibility of buying a vineyard in Portugal and, on June 15, 2026, Yaroch “granted Portuguese lawyers a power of attorney to represent him from the Tax and Customs Authority, to register and obtain a tax identification number in Portugal, as well as to collect the password needed to access his financial portal”.

Later, Yaroch began organizing a trip to Portugal, scheduled for September 2026.

According to the statement, the actions of the former agent “committed several FBI investigations related to both criminal organizations and opposing nation states.”.

“ Their actions prevented FBI officials from performing their functions of protecting public security and national security. In addition, they compromised sources and methods used by the FBI to collect foreign intelligence information and criminal investigations,” he explained.

After pleading guilty, Yaroch will know the sentence on March 4, 2027 and face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.