National Crime Agency officer jailed for stealing £4.4m worth of seized bitcoin
Paul Chowles thought he had got away with the crime for five years, prosecutors said, after laundering the money on the dark web and spending £613,000, mostly on day-to-day expenses.
The 42-year-old had been working as an investigator on the case of Thomas White from Liverpool, who ran an online black market for illegal drugs, known as Silk Road 2.0, launched a month after a website of the same name was shut down in 2013 by the FBI.
It was White, while under investigation, who noticed someone had taken 50 bitcoin of the 97 he had, and told police it had to be someone inside the NCA because they had the private keys for his cryptocurrency wallet.
Merseyside police, which had responsibility for managing White in the local area following his release on licence in early 2022, discussed the theft with the NCA, in meetings that Chowles attended.
During the investigation, officers discovered Chowles had stolen the money between 6 and 7 May 2017, two years after the White investigation was over, and in the following five years had been spending it in supermarkets and hardware stores and on fuel and meals, with investigators uncovering hundreds of debit card transactions.
It was initially worth about £60,000 at the time of the theft but skyrocketed in value during the time he was spending it.
Police recovered an iPhone that linked Chowles to an account used to transfer bitcoin as well as relevant browser search history relating to a cryptocurrency exchange service.
Several notebooks were also discovered in Chowles's office that contained usernames, passwords and statements relating to White's cryptocurrency accounts.
Alex Johnson, specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime division, said the defendant had been 'regarded as someone who was competent, technically minded and very aware of the dark web and cryptocurrencies'.
He added: 'Once he had stolen the cryptocurrency, Paul Chowles sought to muddy the waters and cover his tracks by transferring the bitcoin into mixing services to help hide the trail of money.
Sign up to First Edition
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
'He made a large amount of money through his criminality, and it is only right that he is punished for his corrupt actions.
DCI John Black, from Merseyside police's intelligence bureau, which carried out the investigation with help from the NCA, said: '[Chowles] took advantage of his position on this investigation to line his own pockets while devising a plan that he believed would cover his tracks. He was wrong.'
Chowles, from Bristol, was sentenced to five and a half years at Liverpool crown court, after pleading guilty to theft, transferring criminal property and concealing criminal property at an earlier hearing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Man at war with council over plans for seven-bedroom mansion after SIX protected trees were mysteriously axed... but he claims it was not his fault
A property developer has had plans for a sprawling seven-bedroom mansion blocked after six protected trees were mysteriously felled - but he insists he is not to blame. Mohammed Tayyab bought a derelict care home in Bradford, West Yorkshire, for £355,000 in August 2021, with plans to bulldoze the eyesore building and replace it with a lavish detached home. But his dream development has now been blocked by councillors, after it emerged that protected lime and horse chestnut trees were illegally felled from the site, which sits in a conservation area. Town hall officials discovered that the trees had been deliberately uprooted and damaged during unauthorised excavation work at the site. Councillors refused planning permission, claiming that doing so would effectively mean 'rewarding criminal activity', and open the floodgates to other developers cutting corners. Mr Tayyab, described by backers as a 'pillar of the community', claims he had no knowledge that the trees were chopped down and insisted it happened before he purchased the site. Bradford Council said the six trees were uprooted without consent between 2012 and November 2021, 'around the same time that the property was last purchased.' It said that regardless of whether Mr Tayyab was involved in lopping down the mature trees, he was responsible for replacing them as the landowner - making his housebuild impossible. Town hall officials concluded: 'It would be inappropriate to grant a planning permission which in effect rewards the unlawful removal of protected trees.' Despite offering to plant varied tree species on the land in Oak Mount, the council has applied for a legal order against Mr Tayyab to replace the trees in exactly the same location. At a heated council meeting, Cllr Sinead Engel said: 'I can't bring myself to sanction a plan that rewards criminal activity. 'Regardless of who committed the crimes - the person who did it has benefitted if it has increased the value of the land. 'Before this building shut it was a 10-bedroom property. I'm struggling to understand why, with a bit of imagination, someone could not just create an amazing family home without trampling over mature trees.' Councillor Paul Sullivan added: 'If we allow this then everyone is just going to rip trees down for their own benefit and let the site look like a wreck before they put plans in. 'We can't set that precedent.' The former care home has stood derelict for nearly a decade and has become a hotspot for fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour, with evidence of deliberate fire damage. Mr Tayyab had wanted to build a 'substantial' two-storey home boasting ensuites, open-plan living, a study, utility room and even a disabled-access ground floor bedroom. His three previous planning applications were also rebuffed, council papers show. The planning application, which generated just one objection, stated: 'The existing site is vacant as a former registered group home and harms the appearance of the conservation area through its redundant appearance without maintenance and upkeep. 'The proposed development provides an important opportunity to improve the appearance of the site and secure its optimum viable use.' Councillor Safina Kause said the site had been derelict for eight years before the applicants bought it. Voting in favour of granting planning permission, she said: 'It is almost like planning officers don't want to bring this property back into life. Why are they making it so difficult? 'The applicants are being penalised for something they haven't done. If this plan is refused, they will have no choice but to sell the property. I implore you to approve this application.' A council report states: 'The site has been altered over the years due to unauthorised works, excavation and tree removal, taking place which has detrimentally harmed the appearance of the site and the wider conservation area due to the loss and damaged caused to the boundary trees which collectively had significant amenity value. 'The engineering works which have been carried out have destabilised the remaining mature trees. These works have resulted in the significant damage and loss of mature trees which has harmed the character and appearance of the conservation area.' Under planning laws, chopping down trees in a conservation area without permission is a criminal offence, punishable by potentially unlimited fines.
Times
27 minutes ago
- Times
Jess Carter subjected to racist abuse on social media
England's players will stop taking the knee before Euro 2025 matches after one squad member, Jess Carter, revealed she has suffered racial abuse on social media. The FA has confirmed that the police and 'appropriate bodies' have been contacted over the alleged abuse, but did not say why they were not prepared to identify the platforms on which the alleged abuse took place. The team have been going down to one knee before kick-off of their matches so far at the tournament, but after Carter's ordeal believe 'we and football need to find another way to tackle racism'. Carter and her team-mate, Lotte Wubben-Moy, have confirmed they will step back from social media. 'No one should have to endure such vile abuse, be that in football or any walk of life', a statement from the squad read. 'Representing our country is the greatest honour. It is not right that while we are doing that some of us are treated differently simply because of the colour of our skin. 'Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches. It is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism. We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday [when England play their Euros semi-final against Italy]. 'We hope the game can come together to see what more can be done. For now, we will return our total focus to an important semi-final. 'In the meantime, we know the FA are working with UK police and the appropriate bodies. Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.' Taking the knee has become a familiar form of protest against racial injustice at sporting events. Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback, is thought to be the first to perform the gesture in 2016. It became prominent in football in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd sparked widespread protests against racism. Although Women's Super League teams have taken the knee before games for the past five years, in August 2022 the Premier League announced that players would stop doing so before every match and instead 'select significant moments' to kneel. The England players no longer believe the action is sufficiently combating racism. Carter, whose performances at the Euros have received some criticism, revealed her ordeal in a social media post. 'From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse,' she said. 'While I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result I don't agree or think it's ok to target someone's appearance or race. As a result of this I will be taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with. 'As ever I am grateful for all of the support from the genuine fans but I am taking this measure to protect myself in a bid to keep my focus on helping the team anyway I can. Hopefully speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won't have to deal with it. 'We have made some historic changes with this Lionesses squad that I am so proud to be a part of and my hope is that by speaking out about this it will make another positive change for all. I'm now looking forward and focusing on putting all of my energy into helping my team.' HARRIET LANDER – THE FA/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES Mark Bullingham, the FA CEO, added: 'Our priority is Jess and giving her all the support she needs. 'We strongly condemn those responsible for this disgusting racism. 'As soon as we were made aware of the racist abuse Jess received, we immediately contacted UK police. They are in touch with the relevant social media platform, and we are working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice.' The incident is far from unprecedented in football. Among the most infamous was the abuse towards Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final against Italy. 'Regrettably, this is not the first time this has happened to an England player, so we had measures in place to allow us to respond quickly and where possible provide information to support any potential police action,' Bullingham said. 'We will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done to prevent this abhorrent abuse.' Wubben-Moy, the England defender, also released a statement on Instagram. 'Another tournament goes by where we see the same disgusting racist abuse,' she posted. 'It is unacceptable for any person to be subject to this or any kind of abuse. The issue goes beyond sport. But what is being done about it? On the very platforms we post on? I will not continue to feed the very platform that enables abuse with no consequence.' Uefa released a brief statement saying: 'We stand with Jess. Abuse and discrimination should never be tolerated, whether in football or society, in person or online.'
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Moment riot cops smash shield into man's face and knock his teeth out in clash after migrant ‘sexually assaulted' girl
THIS is the moment riot cops smash a shield into a man's face and knock his teeth out in a brutal clash. Violent scenes erupted outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex this week after an asylum seeker appeared in court charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. 7 7 7 7 Video footage of the encounter shows a man in a grey vest squaring up to an officer before being struck by a riot shield. The man stumbles back clasping his mouth before he looks down at his hand to find his teeth have been knocked out. He looks in disbelief at the other protestors around him before proceeding to argue and square up to other officers. The footage also shows protestors throwing objects at the police as they form a cordon. In the aftermath of the incident, the man told the Mail his account of events. "I was trying to talk to him (the riot officer) and he smashed me in the face with his shield," he claimed. He added that his teeth were now in his pocket. Other footage showed yobs jumping on a moving police van and setting off flairs. Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said those behind the violence would feel the full force of the law and could expect a knock on their doors. The force confirmed eight officers were injured in the clash and two people have been arrested - one on suspicion of affray following reports of an assault during a protest on Sunday, and the other for failing to comply with dispersal orders. Shock moment cops DRIVE INTO protester while under siege from yobs as chaos erupts over small boat migrant 'sex assault' The man accused of affray, 65-year-old Dean Walters, has since been charged and the second suspect remains in custody. On Wednesday night, video footage captured the dramatic moment a protestor was run over by a police riot van as chaos broke out. Yobs tried to block the streets with green plastic blockades as officers navigated through angry crows. Men could be seen kicking and punching several riot vans on the road. But footage shows one man being driven into after failing to move. The protest was sparked by a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker who was arrested and later charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, who had been living at the Bell Hotel, in Epping, Essex, denies sexual assault. He appeared at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Thursday, July 10, where he denied all charges. His arrest led to multiple protests in the region, culminating in the violent clashes. There are about 210 hotels under contracts with the Home Office to house migrants. A Sun investigation revealed 339 defendants who had been living at asylum hotels had appeared in magistrate's courts already this year. Sir Keir Starmer released a statement in response to the growing tensions. "Well, I think it's obviously important that communities know that we are working to reduce the number of asylum hotels," said the PM's spokesperson. "That is a clear government policy. But it's also important that legitimate protest doesn't cross over into something else, and we would always hope that communities would respect that. "But we are, and I think the Prime Minister is on record as saying, about the need to cut migration, both lawfully and illegal migration, and that is something that you're seeing in working on tirelessly over the last year, whether it be the agreement with the French last week or the agreement with the German government yesterday, that is a priority for this government. "It is something that requires international solutions, and that is why you're seeing this flurry of activity from this government to tackle these gangs from every possible angle.' 7 7 7
