NCA Officer Jailed for Stealing Bitcoin Worth £4.3m from Dark Web Investigation
A former National Crime Agency (NCA) officer has been jailed for stealing Bitcoin worth more than £4.3 million from a Dark Web criminal investigation.
Paul Chowles, 42, was today sentenced at %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_0%% Crown Court for the theft of 50 Bitcoin originally seized during the arrest of Silk Road figurehead Thomas White in 2017. At the time, the cryptocurrency was valued at £59,000 but has since surged in worth.
Betrayal of Public Trust
The father-of-three and digital forensics investigator abused his privileged position, using insider access to transfer Bitcoin from a secure USB drive to his own account. Chowles waited several years before quietly converting some of the cryptocurrency into cash – spending around £144,000 on daily living expenses, including nursery fees for his %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_1%%.
Passing sentence, Judge David Aubrey KC said:
"The gravamen of these offences is your betrayal of the trust of the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_2%% you were serving.
You were in a position of privilege and power. You were there to serve the public. You did not."
Chowles had admitted theft, transferring criminal property, and concealing criminal property between 2017 and 2022. He was sacked by the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_3%% and arrested in May 2022 after suspicions arose when Thomas White, released from prison, reported that 50 of his Bitcoins were missing.
Cryptocurrency Exploited
White, once a prominent operator on the now-defunct Silk Road, stated that the missing Bitcoin could only have been accessed by someone inside the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_4%%, as they held the private keys. Investigators recovered 30 Bitcoin from Chowles's devices and other accounts. The remaining 20 Bitcoin had been spent.
The case underscores how gaps in law enforcement knowledge on cryptocurrency were exploited by someone trusted to handle digital evidence.
“Not a Flashy Lifestyle”
Defence lawyer Will Parkhill said Chowles was dealing with anxiety, depression, and undiagnosed %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_5%%, adding that his client used the stolen funds for ordinary living costs, not luxury.
"He did not do the right thing. It was dishonest and dishonest not once, but on a number of occasions. He feels shame and remorse."
CPS and NCA Response
Alex Johnson, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
"Paul Chowles was regarded as a competent and trusted officer with expertise in the dark web and cryptocurrencies. He abused this trust for financial gain and tried to cover his tracks using mixing services."
The NCA's anti-corruption unit supported the investigation. A spokesperson for the agency said:
"We fully understand the concern this case will cause the public. The former officer was sacked for %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_6%% misconduct. We expect the highest standards from our officers and will act robustly when they are breached."
Background:
- The Silk Road was an online black market shut down by US authorities in 2013.
- Thomas White, arrested in 2017, was found with 97 Bitcoin stored on a USB stick.
- Chowles joined the investigation shortly after the seizure.
- Bitcoin's value increased over 70-fold between 2017 and 2025.
