How did the police officer end up becoming a thief

[_act_]

The police officer was reported that he used mixers to split the stolen bitcoin into smaller amounts, transferring the coins through crypto exchanges and prepaid cards to block the trace, but at last he was known.

https://cointelegraph.com/explained/how-a-police-officer-stole-50-btc-from-a-seized-crypto-wallet-and-got-caught

Some people may not know that bitcoin can be traced to someone if the government wants to trace it. This is not the first time such bad actors are known.

[Porfirii]

The police officer was reported that he used mixers to split the stolen bitcoin into smaller amounts, transferring the coins through crypto exchanges and prepaid cards to block the trace, but at last he was known.

https://cointelegraph.com/explained/how-a-police-officer-stole-50-btc-from-a-seized-crypto-wallet-and-got-caught

Some people may not know that bitcoin can be traced to someone if the government wants to trace it. This is not the first time such bad actors are known.

What is more surprising in this news is not that the government was able to trace these transactions even after the police officer's efforts to eliminate the trace (I suppose that he made a mistake at some point) but the fact that the delinquent was a policeman. I want to believe that most police officers carry out their obligations with due diligence and, although we all know of cases in which the behavior of some departs far from what would be desirable, it is the exception and not the norm.

But, apart from the surprising figure of the protagonist in this story, this should serve as a "notice to mariners" who might be considering using Bitcoin to cover up their shady activities.

[goldkingcoiner]

The police officer was reported that he used mixers to split the stolen bitcoin into smaller amounts, transferring the coins through crypto exchanges and prepaid cards to block the trace, but at last he was known.

https://cointelegraph.com/explained/how-a-police-officer-stole-50-btc-from-a-seized-crypto-wallet-and-got-caught

Some people may not know that bitcoin can be traced to someone if the government wants to trace it. This is not the first time such bad actors are known.

detailed blockchain analysis revealed Chowles as the culprit. His arrest, conviction and five-and-a-half-year sentence demonstrate that blockchain’s traceability can expose even insiders

Imagine how many police officers have done the same with fiat and gotten away because of how anonymous and untraceable it is. And yet people, especially politicians and regulators have the gall to call Bitcoin money for criminals.

No criminal is going to choose using an public, incorruptible and unfakeable ledger like Bitcoin over fiat for illegal deals/laundering/terror financing/whatever.

This is being proven time and time again.

This is why Bitcoin is the superior currency and should replace fiat completely.

[alani123]

Mixers were and to an extent still are an asset to intelligence services. Oftentimes merely the act of depositing to a mixer can mean that government keeps tabs on the trail of your money. Some mixers on the other hand were found to keep logs of everything and hence incriminated their users when the owners were caught.

Moreover there are instances of mixers being seized but secretly operated by feds for a while to catch people.

Eventually, if the transfer is to yourself, even with a good mixer, other research techniques such as seizures can reveal the trail of money clear as day.

Now, a police officer not being very fair against the law isn't something uncommon. We saw a very high profile instance of this happening a lot in the Silk Road case.

Here in my country Greece the police is the #1 trafficker of women, drugs and guns. And I bet it's similar in many places around the world.

[albon]

The officer thought that by transferring 50 BTC to a private address and using a mixer service, he would completely hide its trace. However, he and many others who commit fraud and crimes do not know that there are now advanced tools and services that can track transactions. Despite the tools used to increase the privacy of transactions,, the identity behind the transaction may eventually be exposed moving funds to a centralized exchange .

This highlights that mixers are widely targeted, and anyone who uses them should know that they are being monitored. Honestly, I praise the efficiency of Chainalysis, as it is an excellent analytical tool that has helped in finding and bringing criminals to justice.

To those who thinks that Bitcoin conceal crimes and that it is a fertile ground for scammers, consider this story and many others that prove Bitcoin can expose criminals with ease. It reveals them gradually, unlike fiat money.

[notocactus]

What is more surprising in this news is not that the government was able to trace these transactions even after the police officer's efforts to eliminate the trace (I suppose that he made a mistake at some point) but the fact that the delinquent was a policeman.

If you leave traces before using mixers or after using mixers, you are visible by governments and they will find you, that's it. Privacy and anonymity are hard to gain as it is not achieved by a single action and moment but a long history of your actions over a very long time. It's like security, as if you have a hole on a very long wall of security, it can be exploited and a whole wall can collapse.

Similarly, if you left traces somewhere, other careful actions before or later that can not help you gaining complete privacy and anonymity.

[Ishicryptic]

This shows that government enforcement agents that fights crimes are not immune to commiting criminal acts, commiting crime is a choice that people makes no matter their duties and positions in their societies. I am not surprised that the police officer is a thief who can steal Bitcoin that he is supposed to protect afterall their senior colleagues being politicians are corrupt and they steal from their governments all the time. Criminals all have something in common they always makes that small mistake that they overlook and that is from where they are traced and caught.

[Zaguru12]

Imagine how many police officers have done the same with fiat and gotten away because of how anonymous and untraceable it is. And yet people, especially politicians and regulators have the gall to call Bitcoin money for criminals.

No criminal is going to choose using an public, incorruptible and unfakeable ledger like Bitcoin over fiat for illegal deals/laundering/terror financing/whatever.

This is being proven time and time again.

This is why Bitcoin is the superior currency and should replace fiat completely.

I sometimes find the whole thing Funny when the biggest excuse to discredit bitcoin has been it being used for malicious dealings or when they proclaim that it is been used for privacy, one thing I have always said is that as long the chain analysis is done properly it will be very much hard for a person to actually get those funds spent.

We have seen numerous times where the last resort of some of the bad actors is to actually leave the coins in the address because any attempt to move it sometimes might compromise one’s privacy. If it is even government actually looking for the coins trace they simply use every tools and even block off transfer to some mixing or co join platforms.

This is only possible with the fact that bitcoin is public and can never be altered if recorded, we have actually heard of cases where some bank transactions went missing on bank servers after fraudulent transactions this is why blockchain is the ultimate answer.

This shows that government enforcement agents that fights crimes are not immune to commiting criminal acts, commiting crime is a choice that people makes no matter their duties and positions in their societies.

Crime doesn’t know profession, it’s about one’s self belief and personal accountability.

[Ojinga]

Personally I was not in favour of government inference in crypto because I know they would want to take control of it’s activities and technically, it wasn’t supposed to be possible to track bitcoin transactions to a user but government acceptance and involvement has made government have some sort of long hands in the involment of crypto.

If you have no cockroaches in your cupboard with regards to your bitcoin transactions, then you actually don’t have any reason to be scared of the government but the issue is that, tue government can twist an issue snd make the innocent seem guilty and the guilty innocent that’s why you should have to be very careful at all times and stay out of government’s

[348Judah]

The police officer was reported that he used mixers to split the stolen bitcoin into smaller amounts, transferring the coins through crypto exchanges and prepaid cards to block the trace, but at last he was known.

https://cointelegraph.com/explained/how-a-police-officer-stole-50-btc-from-a-seized-crypto-wallet-and-got-caught

Some people may not know that bitcoin can be traced to someone if the government wants to trace it. This is not the first time such bad actors are known.

Serious corruption, who ever thinks something like this may happen?, when there are more of it's kind that exists and we don't get to know, it's a pity things are going wrong in so many settings and it remains hidden to to the appropriate authorities, such secret are nothing but a hidden bomb awaiting for explosion one day, just as we already have in this case, most of the things we accused others of, are we sure we are not in the same show and if having the same opportunity wouldn't do worse, because to me, this is beyond just a greedy act.

[sokani]

If you leave traces before using mixers or after using mixers, you are visible by governments and they will find you, that's it. Privacy and anonymity are hard to gain as it is not achieved by a single action and moment but a long history of your actions over a very long time. It's like security, as if you have a hole on a very long wall of security, it can be exploited and a whole wall can collapse.

Similarly, if you left traces somewhere, other careful actions before or later that can not help you gaining complete privacy and anonymity.

The story reminds me of the hacker, Jimmy Zhong, who stole 51680 BTC from Silk Road. After using a mixer to mix the stolen coins whenever he wanted to move them, at one point, he mistakenly sent some portion to a centralised exchange where he had KYC'ed, and that was how he was identified. I'm guessing the police officer's case is almost the same. He must have linked his identity to the address before or after using a mixer.

[Orpichukwu]

If you leave traces before using mixers or after using mixers, you are visible by governments and they will find you, that's it. Privacy and anonymity are hard to gain as it is not achieved by a single action and moment but a long history of your actions over a very long time. It's like security, as if you have a hole on a very long wall of security, it can be exploited and a whole wall can collapse.

Similarly, if you left traces somewhere, other careful actions before or later that can not help you gaining complete privacy and anonymity.

The story reminds me of the hacker, Jimmy Zhong, who stole 51680 BTC from Silk Road. After using a mixer to mix the stolen coins whenever he wanted to move them, at one point, he mistakenly sent some portion to a centralised exchange where he had KYC'ed, and that was how he was identified. I'm guessing the police officer's case is almost the same. He must have linked his identity to the address before or after using a mixer.

He might have linked his identity, which is a reason to think about how he was identified, but then again, he could have been very careful in covering up all his tracks but messed up by trying to use a blockchain explorer to check how everything was unlinked, which most explorers keep an IP record of and attach it to the search history, which could also be another easy way to link the user if such data is given out.

Another possible way could also be that everything is covered from the beginning, but the official was in a raid of suspects, and any point of mistake can trigger a deeper investigation in which he will be forced to confess and give out information that will make the case very easy to link all the transactions up.

[Ambatman]

Maybe it's because of the country I'm from but many I'm surprised someone is shocked that a police officer could be a thief.

The amount was much so definitely authorities are going to take it serious and going through CEX just lengthen the process not really provide obscurity.

how do they say it, one is only considered a thief when they are caught.

[Su-asa]

I think the actual way the government can be able to trace any transactions that's done through mixers is if they go straight to the mixer and request for more information to backup their investigations. But outside that, I'm not sure using mixer can be traceable. Or maybe the police officer was caught through the informations he provided to the exchange when KYC verification was required. Truth be told that 90% of the military are not trustworthy.

[Jegileman]

The story reminds me of the hacker, Jimmy Zhong, who stole 51680 BTC from Silk Road. After using a mixer to mix the stolen coins whenever he wanted to move them, at one point, he mistakenly sent some portion to a centralised exchange where he had KYC'ed, and that was how he was identified. I'm guessing the police officer's case is almost the same. He must have linked his identity to the address before or after using a mixer.

It is getting more interesting that these who embezzle money through bitcoin are traced and found. Bitcoin has been labelled the criminals den and where criminals come to other malicious act and get away with it easily. Stories like this makes it even more possible for criminals who have stolen bitcoin to be traced and fined. I still imagine how people get away with fiat which is more centralised.

I am beginning to have this feeling that these people (government) just want to let go off those that steal money and claim they cannot be traced whereas bitcoin whose transaction is public wouldn’t make them to hide it and say criminals can’t be traced when they have some informations at hand that can make them to be traced. Maybe ditching the fiat and embracing bitcoin is what we should advocate for, since criminals can be traced when they steal bitcoin but cannot be traced when they steal fiat, hopefully that would make the nation clear off more criminals than before.

[Majestic-milf]

What is more surprising in this news is not that the government was able to trace these transactions even after the police officer's efforts to eliminate the trace (I suppose that he made a mistake at some point) but the fact that the delinquent was a policeman. I want to believe that most police officers carry out their obligations with due diligence and, although we all know of cases in which the behavior of some departs far from what would be desirable, it is the exception and not the norm.

But, apart from the surprising figure of the protagonist in this story, this should serve as a "notice to mariners" who might be considering using Bitcoin to cover up their shady activities.

It's easy to overlook when a Police man carries out such kinds of things because one would just assume it's for either record purposes or for an investigation, either way, not much suspicion is placed on them and with how the story unfolded, the man would seemed so confident in his ability to outsmart the untrained eye but I think he didn't envisage that he could be traced.
 It's funny how we wonder how's police man who is supposed to uphold the law would be the one to break it! He's human so is capable of allowing his morals to be loose.

[Davidvictorson]

Some people may not know that bitcoin can be traced to someone if the government wants to trace it. This is not the first time such bad actors are known.

Police catch thieves but the Police can also be the thief and get caught too.
Government can literally find anything and anyone on the planet if they wish to. I do not support crime or breaking the law in any way and that it why if you get caught you have to do the time. Those who are doing the bad stuff with bitcoin now and are not caught will think that they are smart but eventually, nemesis will always catch up with them. And they will pay for it.

[Hatchy]

If you leave traces before using mixers or after using mixers, you are visible by governments and they will find you, that's it. Privacy and anonymity are hard to gain as it is not achieved by a single action and moment but a long history of your actions over a very long time. It's like security, as if you have a hole on a very long wall of security, it can be exploited and a whole wall can collapse.

Similarly, if you left traces somewhere, other careful actions before or later that can not help you gaining complete privacy and anonymity.

Considering the fact that he had used a mixer to try and loot the funds but still got caught. That would conclude that his past actions were used to trace it back to him. Many people might feel that just by sending funds through mixers makes you invincible.. I'm still not surprised that he got caught and he should be.. these are the kind of people that gives privacy a bad image. If he wasn't caught, it would have added to the negative conclusion that privacy tools are bad.

Maybe it's because of the country I'm from but many I'm surprised someone is shocked that a police officer could be a thief.

Lol literally from a country where everyone including the authority is a criminal, this kinds of stories is not going to a surprise. Though in some countries it's same but they do it in the dark so it doesn't stain their images..

[Abu-Naim]

The police officer was reported that he used mixers to split the stolen bitcoin into smaller amounts, transferring the coins through crypto exchanges and prepaid cards to block the trace, but at last he was known.

https://cointelegraph.com/explained/how-a-police-officer-stole-50-btc-from-a-seized-crypto-wallet-and-got-caught

Some people may not know that bitcoin can be traced to someone if the government wants to trace it. This is not the first time such bad actors are known.

Can the Bitcoin transaction be traced if it was sent to personal wallet?

Exchanges might be traced through KYC, but how can it be traced on personal wallets?
Can’t mixers exchange the Bitcoin for another one?
Or is the trace based on where the Bitcoin come from?

I am confused here.

[Apocollapse]

In my country the police is like shit, so if I see a news where the police doing illegal or crime stuff, I'm not surprising either.

You can imagine this, people who apply to become police aren't for to achieve their dream, to catch bad people or want to serve for the government, but their reason are for making money through extortion and immune against laws because they're backed up by their seniors.

I'm glad the police don't have a good knowledge in privacy and also stupid, if my police were him, he will working together with crypto expert, privacy expert and tax expert in order to make it smooth. If one of them want to backstab the police, the police will torture and threaten them, so the police have nothing to worry.