National Crime Agency Officer Faces £1.81 Million Confiscation Order Over Bitcoin Theft
Former National Crime Agency officer Paul Chowles is facing a £1,810,678.93 confiscation order for stealing 50 Bitcoin from a wallet seized in the Silk Road 2.0 investigation. The stolen funds were worth £59,409 when Chowles transferred them on May 6-7, 2017. Chowles used a technique called 'layering' to break up the funds into smaller transfers and route them through Bitcoin Fog, making them harder to track. He also used Cryptopay and Wirex accounts and cards to spend and withdraw the funds.
Chowles admitted to theft, transferring criminal property, and concealing criminal property in May 2025. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison in July 2025. The confiscation order is below the £1,970,759.27 assessed as Chowles' criminal benefit. The order reflects the assets available to recover, which includes the value of 30 Bitcoin recovered earlier.
The theft also affected Thomas White's separate confiscation case. White set up Silk Road 2.0, and authorities sold the 47 Bitcoin remaining in their custody to help satisfy White's confiscation order. White still owes £1,066,956. A separate compensation order was made to pay a victim's outstanding confiscation order.