Ex-Secret Service Agent Admits to Cryptocurrency Theft
In a case that highlights the challenges of managing digital assets within law enforcement, a former Secret Service agent has confessed to embezzling cryptocurrency seized during an investigation in Phoenix. Anthony Joseph Evans, once a trusted member of the agency, admitted to diverting approximately $56,000 in digital currency from a secure evidence vault.
Evans, who was employed by the Secret Service between February 2018 and November 2022, utilized his position to access the seized assets. According to court documents, in December 2021, he extracted a Nano S hard wallet from the vault, documented its contents, and then returned it. However, he later misappropriated the cryptocurrency by using the wallet’s private keys to transfer the funds to his personal accounts.
The stolen assets included one Bitcoin, valued at around $47,000 at the time, and nearly 11,000 XRP worth an additional $10,000. These were moved into two personal wallets controlled by Evans. The following day, Evans liquidated the Bitcoin via his own crypto exchanges, converting it into U.S. dollars. The funds were then dispersed into his Chase and Capital One bank accounts, where they were used for personal expenses, including settling a debt.
In a further attempt to obscure the transactions, Evans transferred part of the XRP to a crypto exchange located in the Cayman Islands. There, he converted it into U.S. dollar coins and subsequently reintegrated it into his crypto account.
As part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Evans could face a prison sentence of up to one year and a day, alongside a requirement to pay restitution.
