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Former UK Officer Steals 50 Bitcoin from Criminal Network, Sentenced to 5.5 Years in Prison

Paul Chowles, a former officer of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for stealing 50 Bitcoin from a criminal network on the dark web that he was investigating.

The incident occurred in 2017, when Chowles led the investigation into Silk Road 2.0 — the infamous black market recreated by Thomas White after the FBI shut down the original Silk Road. Taking advantage of his position to access crypto wallets, Chowles secretly transferred 50 $BTC from White's "retirement wallet" to multiple personal accounts, then used the Bitcoin Fog mixing service to launder the money through hundreds of transactions.

At that time, the stolen Bitcoin was only worth $77,000, but it has since increased to over $5.6 million due to BTC prices surpassing $120,000. Chowles concealed his identity by spending through Cryptopay and Wirex debit cards with 279 transactions, totaling over $144,000 spent before being exposed.

The initial loss of BTC was suspected to be a retrieval by White himself, but he continuously denied it. Thanks to blockchain analysis and a search of Chowles' home in 2022, the police discovered devices containing private keys and a notebook detailing accounts.

Chowles has been fired from the NCA, and all assets will be seized to compensate the victims. This case serves as a warning that no one is above the law, not even law enforcement officers! #anhbacong