NCA Officer Who Stole Bitcoin From Crime Network Jailed for Five and a Half Years
A former National Crime Agency officer, Paul Chowles, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for stealing 50 BTC during a 2017 investigation into Silk Road 2.0. Chowles pleaded guilty to theft, transferring criminal property, and concealing criminal property. The stolen Bitcoin, initially valued at $77,000, has since appreciated to $5.6 million. Chowles exploited his position by transferring the Bitcoin from Thomas White's seized devices to various accounts using a crypto mixer to obscure the transactions. He made 279 transactions totaling $144,580 before being caught. The theft was initially misattributed to White, but blockchain analysis by Chainalysis led to Chowles' identification. Authorities recovered devices containing private keys during a 2022 search of Chowles' home. Chowles was dismissed from the NCA, and confiscation proceedings will follow to recover the proceeds of crime.
