Former Secret Service Agent Admits to Cryptocurrency Theft
An ex-Secret Service agent has confessed to misappropriating cryptocurrency confiscated during a search operation in Phoenix. This revelation has stirred concerns about the security of digital assets held by law enforcement agencies.
Anthony Joseph Evans, who was once employed by the Secret Service in Phoenix, acknowledged diverting approximately $56,000 in cryptocurrency from the agency’s evidence vault into his possession. He subsequently exchanged the digital currency for U.S. dollars, dispersed the funds across several bank accounts, and utilized them for personal expenses.
Evans’ tenure with the agency spanned from February 2018 to November 2022. According to the plea agreement: In December 2021, he accessed a Nano S hard wallet confiscated from an individual identified as N.M. in legal documents. After documenting its contents, he returned it to the evidence vault.
In the weeks following, Evans exploited private keys from the cryptocurrency, transferring one Bitcoin worth approximately $47,000 at the time, along with nearly 11,000 XRP valued at $10,000, into two of his personal wallets.
The subsequent day, Evans moved the Bitcoin into his crypto exchanges, converted it to U.S. dollars, and relocated the funds to his Chase and Capital One bank accounts. He spent these funds on personal purchases, including debt repayment. Part of the XRP was sent to a crypto exchange in the Cayman Islands, converted to U.S. dollar coins, and re-deposited into his own crypto account.
Evans has entered a plea agreement with U.S. federal prosecutors, which could result in a prison sentence of up to one year and a day, in addition to restitution.
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