Australian Federal Police Officer Denies Stealing Bitcoin During an Investigation
Australian Federal Police Officer Denies Stealing Bitcoin Right by an Investigation
An Australian cybercrime police officer has been accused of stealing 81.616 Bitcoin for the length of a steroid trafficking investigation in Melbourne.
Per court docket paperwork, the policeman – William Wheatley – allegedly pocketed a Trezor hardware wallet containing the Bitcoins, then price about $450,000. Wheatley additionally faces two more charges of dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime, and using data to dishonestly serve him.
The suspected cop changed into first charged in December 2022 by the worn Australian Commission for Legislation Enforcement Integrity. Basically based mostly on a neighborhood account, Wheatley assisted a raid in 2019, which changed into a section of Operation Viridian.
Australian Cyber Crime Squad Detective Sergeant Deon Achtypis famed that the raid uncovered mammoth portions of “steroid-form” substances. Alongside with that, the detectives additionally chanced on a Trezor crypto wallet, he added.
After three weeks, the investigators obtained permission from a magistrate to get entry to the wallet. On February 14, the personnel chanced on the wallet to be empty on January 29.
Extra, the cybercrime unit tracked the forex and chanced on an IP take care of associated with the then-Australian Federal Police headquarters.
“I could presumably well perchance no longer conceive of any staunch enterprise motive an IP take care of associated with the Australian Federal Police would seem,” Achtypis famed. “I formed the conception that a police member could presumably well fair have been fascinated by the circulate of the cryptocurrency.”
The regulations commission launched an investigation on 5 cybercrime officers suspected to be enthusiastic on the wallet draining. Investigators then traced Wheatley with evidences of withdrawals made to his checking story between 2019 and September 2022.
Australian Federal Policeman Wheatley Denies Allegations
The officer on Friday, seemed sooner than the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, denying the entire accusations against him. He pled no longer guilty for stealing cryptocurrencies from Trezor wallet for the length of the ring investigation.
He said that he didn’t misuse data obtained in his draw as an investigation officer to serve himself. Furthermore, his licensed reliable Luke Barker, told the court docket that the case is “circumstantial” against his client.
The County Court has scheduled next listening to on the case in March, the account added.
Source : cryptonews.com
