A 32-year-old special agent for the U.S. Secret Service in Phoenix faces a year in prison and restitution after pleading guilty to theft of cryptocurrency from an evidence vault, authorities said.

Anthony Joseph Evans of Tucson pleaded guilty to a charge of officer or employee of the United States converting property of another. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 19.

Evans admitted that while working as a special agent in Phoenix in early 2022 “he accessed cryptocurrency on a hard wallet held in the agency’s secure evidence vault,” according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Evans then transferred the cryptocurrency, worth approximately $56,000, to two wallets he owned or controlled, the release stated. He moved the cryptocurrency through various exchanges, converted most of it into U.S. dollars and transferred the proceeds to multiple bank accounts he owned.

Evans later used the money to pay for personal expenditures, including repayment of debt, according to the release.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Evans faces up to a year and a day in prison and is required to pay restitution to the victim for the value of the cryptocurrency, including any appreciation in value incurred prior to sentencing.

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