The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of Australia has accused federal police officer William Wheatley of stealing 81.62 Bitcoin, worth approximately $4.2 million, from a Trezor hardware wallet seized during a 2019 drug raid.
According to authorities, the hardware wallet originally contained 81.62 Bitcoin, valued at $309,000 at the time. However, detective Deon Achtypis says that crypto tracing software linked Wheatley to transferring the funds shortly after the raid.
Initially, investigators believed a crime syndicate associate wiped the Trezor after discovering the wallet’s recovery seed phrase on site. But IP address analysis pointed to Wheatley as the culprit.
However, Wheatley maintains his innocence against accusations of theft, laundering criminal proceeds, and exploiting his role as a public officer. The alleged Bitcoin theft comes as Trezor disclosed a recent security breach impacting 66,000 users.
