Former UK Crime Agency Officer Ordered to Repay £1.8 Million in Stolen Bitcoin Case
Summary
Former NCA officer Paul Chowles was ordered to repay £1.81 million after stealing 50 Bitcoin from a seized wallet and attempting to conceal their movement. Blockchain analysis helped investigators trace the funds.
Key points
- Chowles transferred 50 of 97 Bitcoin from a wallet seized during the investigation of Silk Road 2.0 operator Thomas White.
- He moved the Bitcoin through multiple accounts and mixing services, including Bitcoin Fog, to obscure the transaction trail.
- Investigators recovered 30 Bitcoin; specialist blockchain analysis helped trace the funds, and searches found devices, account information, and records linking Chowles to them.
- Liverpool Crown Court ordered Chowles to repay £1,810,678.93, the value of his available assets.
- Chowles pleaded guilty to theft and offenses involving transferring and concealing criminal property. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison in July 2025.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Criminal asset confiscation order following theft of seized cryptocurrency
- Impact
- According to the BBC report cited in the article, former National Crime Agency officer Paul Chowles was ordered to repay £1,810,678.93 after stealing 50 Bitcoin from a seized wallet. The stolen Bitcoin were worth approximately £60,000 at the time. Investigators recovered 30 Bitcoin, valued at more than £1.8 million when the order was issued. Of the recovered amount, £1,066,956.83 will be applied to Thomas White’s outstanding confiscation order. The Crown Prosecution Service calculated Chowles’ criminal benefit at £1,970,759.27.
People
Paul ChowlesFormer National Crime Agency officer who pleaded guilty to stealing seized Bitcoin, transferring criminal property and concealing criminal property. He received a five-year-and-six-month prison sentence and a £1,810,678.93 confiscation order.Thomas WhiteConvicted operator of Silk Road 2.0 whose seized wallet contained the Bitcoin stolen by Chowles. Part of the recovered funds will satisfy White’s outstanding confiscation order.