Ex-NCA officer Paul Chowles ordered to repay £1.8m over stolen Bitcoin
A confiscation order requires former National Crime Agency officer Paul Chowles, jailed for stealing Bitcoin seized from Silk Road 2.0 operator Thomas White, to repay about £1.8m.
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The story, neutrally told
Paul Chowles, a former National Crime Agency (NCA) officer, has been ordered to repay more than £1.8m after stealing Bitcoin seized during an investigation. BBC NewsN “A former National Crime Agency (NCA) officer will have to repay £1.8m after stealing the valuable cryptocurrency Bitcoin he seized during an investigation.” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily MirrorL “has been ordered to repay more than £1.8million” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Chowles, 44, from Bristol, was jailed for five and a half years last year after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering, according to the BBC. BBC NewsN “was jailed for five and a half years at Liverpool Crown Court last year after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering” Read at BBC News ↗ He worked on the investigation into Thomas White, who sold illegal goods on the dark website Silk Road 2.0 and was jailed in 2019 for 64 months. BBC NewsN “Thomas White being jailed in 2019 for 64 months after he was found to have sold illegal goods to criminal networks on the dark website Silk Road 2.0” Read at BBC News ↗
Chowles took 50 Bitcoin from a confiscated wallet in 2017 and tried to hide the trail through a series of cryptocurrency transactions. BBC NewsN “it was Chowles who had taken the Bitcoin from the confiscated wallet in 2017, and then attempted to cover his tracks” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily MirrorL “attempted to disguise the trail of the assets through a series of cryptocurrency transactions” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ The BBC says the NCA assumed White had accessed the wallet in custody, which he denied; the Mirror says White alerted police after saying he had been robbed. BBC NewsN “The NCA assumed White had somehow accessed the wallet while in custody, but he denied any involvement.” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily MirrorL “alerted police to Chowles after telling investigators he had been robbed” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Chowles was arrested in May 2022 and 30 Bitcoin was recovered from him; the Mirror adds that notebooks in his office held White's account details. BBC NewsN “Chowles was arrested in May 2022. A total of 30 Bitcoin was subsequently recovered from him.” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily MirrorL “Several notebooks were discovered in his office which contained usernames, passwords” Read at Daily Mirror ↗
The Crown Prosecution Service secured a confiscation order based on the recovered 30 Bitcoin, which the Mirror puts at £1,810,678.93. Daily MirrorL “a confiscation order against Chowles on Thursday for £1,810,678.93” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ BBC NewsN “equal to the value of the 30 Bitcoin recovered from Chowles” Read at BBC News ↗ Luke Clements of the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division said Chowles "exploited a position of trust for personal gain" and that the order shows the CPS will pursue offenders' assets. BBC NewsN “exploited a position of trust for personal gain” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily MirrorL “we will pursue offenders' assets relentlessly” Read at Daily Mirror ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Crime-story framing that leads on the officer as corrupt and on the dark web drug dealer.
- Emphasis
- Evidence found against Chowles, the exact order sum, and White's alias.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the NCA's initial suspicion of White or the 2019 sentence he received.
- Charged language
- “corrupt”“ill-gotten gains”“infamous Silk Road”
- For example
-
“A corrupt National Crime Agency detective jailed for stealing a drug dealer's Bitcoin has been ordered to repay more than £1.8million.” — Daily Mirror
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Concise report of the confiscation order, with a background account of the investigation and the Bitcoin's rise in value.
- Emphasis
- Sequence of the theft, the NCA's mistaken assumption about White, and the CPS statement.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not give the exact order figure, the notebooks found, or the 'Dread Pirate Roberts' alias.
- Charged language
- “ballooned”
- For example
-
“which has ballooned from £36,000 to more than £1.8m” — BBC News
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Chowles, 44, of Bristol, was jailed for five and a half years.
- A confiscation order of about £1.8m has been secured by the CPS.
- 30 Bitcoin was recovered from Chowles after his May 2022 arrest.
- Luke Clements of the CPS said Chowles exploited a position of trust.
Where accounts differ
-
How the theft came to light and what White said
- Left
- Mirror: White alerted police after telling investigators he had been robbed.
- Centre
- BBC: the NCA assumed White had accessed the wallet in custody, which he denied.
-
Value of the stolen Bitcoin at the time
- Left
- Mirror says the 50 Bitcoin stolen was worth about £60,000 at the time.
- Centre
- BBC gives £36,000 as the earlier value of the 30 Bitcoin recovered.
Paul Chowles person
Described as having pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering; no statement from him is quoted.
“after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering” — BBC News
National Crime Agency organisation
The NCA is described as having wrongly assumed White accessed the wallet; it is not quoted directly.
“The NCA assumed White had somehow accessed the wallet while in custody” — BBC News
Left1 article
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Corrupt NCA detective ordered to repay £1.8million Bitcoin stolen from dark web drug dealer
Critical Presents Chowles as a corrupt detective and adds detail on evidence and White's alias.
Centre1 article
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Ex-officer must repay £1.8m for stolen Bitcoin
Neutral Straightforward account of the order and how the theft was uncovered.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 30 Sep 13:48 First BBC NewsN Ex-officer must repay £1.8m for stolen Bitcoin
- 30 Sep 14:25 +37m Daily MirrorL Corrupt NCA detective ordered to repay £1.8million Bitcoin stolen from dark web drug dealer
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.