Former UK Investigator Ordered to Repay $2.4 Million After Stealing 50 Bitcoin From Seized Wallet
Summary
- A former investigator at the UK National Crime Agency was ordered to repay 1.81 million pounds ($2.4 million) after stealing 50 Bitcoin from a seized wallet.
- Authorities said Chowles split the stolen Bitcoin into smaller amounts, then cashed out through the Bitcoin Fog mixing service, Cryptopay, and Wirex debit cards.
- Authorities counted 279 transactions totaling 144,580 pounds, and said Chowles admitted to theft and to transferring and concealing criminal proceeds.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
A former investigator at the UK National Crime Agency has been ordered to repay 1.81 million pounds ($2.4 million) after stealing 50 Bitcoin from a wallet seized during a dark-web investigation.
Crypto news outlet Decrypt reported on October 30 that the UK Crown Prosecution Service said Paul Chowles of Bristol diverted the Bitcoin while handling crypto-asset analysis and extraction from devices seized by the Silk Road 2.0 investigation team.
Chowles transferred 50 Bitcoin from the seized wallet to his own address in May 2017. The Bitcoin was worth about 60,000 pounds, or roughly $77,000, at the time.
He then split the stolen Bitcoin into smaller amounts and routed it through the mixing service Bitcoin Fog before cashing out through Cryptopay and Wirex debit cards. Authorities counted 279 related transactions totaling 144,580 pounds.
Chowles admitted to theft and to transferring and concealing criminal proceeds. In July 2025, he was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.
