UK's Crown Prosecution Service Announces First Case Involving Monero Conversion
The Cheshire Cyber Crime Unit conducted the initial seizure of the cryptocurrency. This posed several challenges due to the particular type of cryptocurrency; however, these were overcome and have resulted in the forfeiture of the funds by the National Food Crime Unit
Jack Finney has been ordered to forfeit gains from selling a toxic substance marketed as a weight loss drug. The order includes proceeds in monero cryptocurrency and other assets. “This is the first case where we have converted Monero currency into cash,” said Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service.
British Man Convicted of Selling Deadly Substance Marketed as Weight Loss Drug
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales, announced last week that a British man “convicted of selling a deadly substance that was falsely marketed as a ‘weight loss’ drug has been forced to hand over £23,000 [approximately $29,213] that he made from his crime.” Jack Finney, 28, was ordered to repay this amount, including £15,000 in monero cryptocurrency, converted to cash by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Finney, who pleaded guilty in Chester Crown Court, received a 28-month sentence in December 2021 for multiple offenses, including the illegal sale of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), a highly toxic chemical causing at least 33 UK deaths.
Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
This is the first case where we have converted monero currency into cash. This shows that criminals cannot hide their money in any cryptocurrencies in the hope it will be safe from the authorities.
“We will continue to go after him for the remaining amount if he comes into more money so this is not the end of our pursuit of his dirty money,” he added.
Detective Sergeant David MacFarlane from Cheshire Police’s Cyber Crime Unit stated: “The Cheshire Cyber Crime Unit conducted the initial seizure of the cryptocurrency. This posed several challenges due to the particular type of cryptocurrency; however, these were overcome and have resulted in the forfeiture of the funds by the National Food Crime Unit, part of the Food Standards Agency, who we have supported throughout the investigation.”
