An FBI agent has allegedly confessed to stealing about $1 million in cryptocurrency from accounts that are linked to foreign adversary, according to a filing in a Virginia district court. According to a report by Bloomberg, the agent named Patrick Steven Yaroch, contacted the Department of Justice last week and admitted to making ‘very poor decisions related to cryptocurrency wallets’. The affidavit says Yaroch decided to come clean ‘because of the shame eating him up inside’. How the theft happenedAccording to the Bloomberg report, Yaroch used FBI systems to access keys of crypto wallets tied to foreign entities under investigation. Between late 2024 and early 2025, he conducted around 10 transfers totalling to $1 million. He claimed he never interacted directly with anyone associated with the accounts but grew frustrated when the FBI “could not or would not act” against them.DOJ meeting and arrestOn July 29, Yaroch met with a DOJ employee he knew and “immediately started to break down” as he confessed. Days later, FBI agents searched his home and vehicle, where he voluntarily provided access to his iPhone and crypto accounts, including Kraken and apps like Slush and Suilend. Investigators discovered he had even asked ChatGPT in May how best to invest $1 million, noting his goal of retiring abroad by age 40.Yaroch was fired on July 31, the same day he was arrested. He now faces charges of interstate transportation and receipt of stolen goods, securities, and monies. The court filing did not list any lawyers representing him.US officials warn of cyber attacks: Hackers are targeting essential servicesRecently, US officials warned that hackers are targeting essential services like water utilities. In a press release shared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agencies warned critical infrastructure asset owners and operators that malicious cyber actors (MCAs) are conducting cyber attacks targeting Operational Technology (OT) devices, including Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), specifically MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 series. “Since 27 July 2026, Water and Wastewater Sector (WWS) utility companies in at least seven states have reported incidents to the FBI, and some of that activity degraded water operations,” the release said.Explaining how the hackers target and breach essential services system, the FBI said that the threat actors first gain remote access to internet-facing devices. Having accessed them, the actors change the IP addresses and passwords, resulting in a loss of monitoring and control functionality.“MCAs are targeting internet-exposed PLCs (Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley’s MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 series) to remotely tamper with device configurations by changing IP addresses and turning on and setting passwords, resulting in a loss of view, and in some cases function, of connected equipment in targeted facilities,” the agency said.