Paul Calder Le Roux (born 24 December 1972) is a former programmer, former criminal cartel boss, and informant to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In 1999, he created E4M, a free and open-source disk encryption software program for Microsoft Windows, and is sometimes credited for open-source TrueCrypt, which is based on E4M's code, though he denies involvement with TrueCrypt. Le Roux was arrested on 26 September 2012 for conspiracy to import narcotics into the United States, and agreed to cooperate with authorities in exchange for a lesser sentence and immunity to any crimes he might admit to later. He subsequently admitted to arranging or participating in seven murders, carried out as part of an extensive illegal business empire. Le Roux was sentenced to 25 years in prison in June 2020.
Early life Le Roux was born on 24 December 1972, at Lady Rodwell Maternity Home in Bulawayo, in what was then the republic of Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe), and given up for adoption. His birth certificate gives his first name as "unknown" and makes no mention of his father. His biological mother's identity has not been disclosed; one source claims she was a poor teenager, while another states that his maternal grandmother was married to a US senator. Aged two months, he was adopted by a couple living in the asbestos-mining town of Mashava and given his future name, Paul Calder Le Roux. Although several family members became aware over the years, his parents never informed him of his adoption, and Le Roux only discovered the truth in 2002. Le Roux also had a younger sister. Following political events in 1980 that ended the Rhodesian Bush War and Robert Mugabe assuming power and ending white minority rule, Le Roux's family relocated to South Africa in 1984 for better schooling opportunities. They found a new home in the mining town of Krugersdorp, where Le Roux's father started a company managing coal-mining operations, soon bringing wealth to the family. Shortly after, Le Roux was given his first computer in exchange for washing his father's car. As a teenager, he was described as tall, trim and handsome, though not very social and not interested in sports. He was obsessed with the video game Wing Commander, which he played on his gaming console connected to the family TV. At around 15 or 16 years old, Le Roux was arrested for selling pornography following a police search of the family home. The family was able to keep the incident out of the public eye. Following his arrest, Le Roux became even more reclusive. An excellent student, he refused to learn Afrikaans—mandatory in South African schools — calling it a "dead language" and eventually dropping out of school at age 16. He enrolled in a local programming course, in which he excelled, completing the one-year course in eight weeks. Upon returning from a family holiday trip to the US, 18-year-old Le Roux decided to leave South Africa, and departed to the UK eight months later. He found work as a programmer, and, in 1994, met his future wife, Michelle. After six months in the US, he followed Michelle to Australia in 1995. The couple married and Le Roux acquired Australian citizenship. They lived in Perth and Sydney. Reports are contradictory regarding children of the marriage – some sources mention a son, while others claim Le Roux's first child (a son) was with his second wife. Le Roux has revealed little about his early life, and most of it was uncovered by journalist Evan Ratliff, relying mainly on an initially unnamed source close to Le Roux. He would later name Le Roux's cousin and former employee Mathew Smith as a source.
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