Secret Service Agent Stole Virtual Currency from Evidence Vault
Former Secret Service Special Agent Anthony Joseph Evans (not pictured) has pleaded guilty to stealing $56,000 in cryptocurrency from a “hardware wallet” in an evidence vault.
He admitted to accessing and transferring cryptocurrency from the agency’s secure evidence vault, according to a Justice Department press release.
His sentencing is scheduled for February 19, 2025.
Crypto Stored in a Hardware Wallet
The Secret Service had seized the Ledger Nano S hardware wallet that contained the cryptocurrency during a search warrant execution of a Phoenix, Ariz., residence belonging to a person identified as N. M. in court documents.
A hardware wallet is less vulnerable to theft because the device is not connected to the Internet. A software or virtual wallet protects its contents with blockchain and other encryption technology but may be more prone to hacking. In this case, Evans was able to steal the cryptocurrency once he got access to the physical hardware wallet.
Evans stole one Bitcoin worth about $47,000 and about 11,000 XRP, worth around $10,000.
He routed those transfers to two wallets he controlled. After moving the cryptocurrency through a few exchanges, one of which is located in the Cayman Islands, Evans converted most of it into U.S. dollars and added money to his bank accounts.
After that, he used the money for his personal benefit, including paying off debt.
Plea Agreement
By accepting his responsibility and signing a plea agreement, Evans avoided the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison with a $250,000 fine and an additional three years of supervised release. According to his deal with prosecutors, he will spend a maximum of one year and one day behind bars, with a $56,039.60 fine in money or cryptocurrency. As in all plea agreements, however, the judge will have the final say on sentencing.
Another condition of the plea agreement was that Evans, who worked for the Secret Service from 2018 to 2022, forfeited the right to appeal.
Similar Cases
This case is the latest in attempts by former or current FBI or Secret Service agents to profit from crime.
A federal court indicted 61-year-old Jeffrey A. Royer from Montrose, Colo., after he allegedly defrauded investors out of more than $1 million.
You can read coverage of that case by The Daily Muck here.
In March 2024, Seth Markin, an FBI trainee, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for defrauding his then-girlfriend, who worked as an attorney at a major law firm in Washington, DC. He looked through confidential work documents without her permission, and then he used that inside information to trade in stock, earning more than $1.5 million in illegal profits, according to a Justice Department report.
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