Two men jailed over £5.7million cryptocurrency fraud that saw them amass ... trends now
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Two men have been jailed for stealing over £5.7million in cryptocurrency from 55 victims across the globe in a fraud plot that saw them amass a suitcase filled with £551,000 in cash and a £60,000 Banksy art work.
Jake Lee, 38, from Bath and James Heppel, 42, from Wiltshire spoofed the domain of online cryptocurrency exchange website Blockchain.com to gain access to their victims login details and Bitcoin wallets so they could steal their funds.
An investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) identified 55 victims from 26 different countries, including 11 from the UK.
Police put a restraint order on £835,000 in cash, including the £551,000 in the suitcase that was handed over voluntarily by Lee, £64,000 worth of cryptocurrency, a Banksy print worth £60,000 and three vehicles.
Jake Lee (left), 38, from Charlcombe in Bath and James Heppel (right), 42, from Staverton in Wiltshire both pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud
A confiscation order for nearly £1million was made against Lee, which will be used to compensate the victims.
The investigation started in 2018 after Lee was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
Police seized £24,000 in cash, digital devices and three laminated Bitcoin wallet recovery seeds - a list of words printed or written on a piece of paper that can restore lost Bitcoin funds but can also be used to steal funds if someone else finds it.
The investigation unit found a link between Lee
