A British man has accused his wife of secretly recording his mnemonic phrases on a security camera and stealing $172 million worth of Bitcoin.

PANews reported on March 17 that, according to Decrypt, UK High Court documents show a man has accused his estranged wife of stealing 2,323 bitcoins (approximately $172 million) by secretly recording his Trezor hardware wallet's mnemonic phrase. The man installed recording devices in his home after his daughter warned his wife about the attempted theft. The recordings contain phrases such as "Bitcoins have been transferred to me" and "Take it all."

On August 2, 2023, his Bitcoin was transferred and dispersed to 71 different addresses, and no further transactions occurred afterward. Following a police report, his wife was arrested in 2023, and police seized 10 cryptocurrency cold wallets. However, his wife was released after a no-comment hearing and on bail, with police stating they would not take further action until new evidence emerged. In November 2025, the man applied for an asset preservation injunction, seeking to declare ownership of the Bitcoin and recover the assets. The judge considered his chances of success "very high," noting that his wife had an opportunity but failed to provide a statement of events. Given the volatility of Bitcoin, the judge stated that a trial needed to be held as soon as possible.