An Australian man from Queensland has had to give up nearly 25 Bitcoin, a luxury waterfront mansion, and a Mercedes-Benz after authorities linked the assets to suspected criminal activity.
According to a statement released on May 18, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) — through its Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) — seized the assets, valued at around 4.5 million AUD (about $2.88 million USD). The Bitcoin alone is worth over $103,000 per coin.
The case traces back to 2018, when law enforcement officials in Luxembourg flagged suspicious Bitcoin transactions. This information led the AFP to the Queenslander, who had previously been found guilty of hacking a gambling corporation in the United States.
Source: Australian Federal Police
Investigators assume the guy was additionally involved in the 2013 theft of 950 bitcoins from a French cryptocurrency exchange. While no criminal charges were filed in connection with that particular theft, a court in April approved a forfeiture order, ruling the assets couldn’t be tied to any identifiable legitimate income.
Local media outlet 7NEWS reported identified the man as Shane Stephen Duffy. In 2016, Duffy pleaded guilty of fraud and computer hacking after being found selling League of Legends users’ personal information. Although he wasn’t involved in the 2011 hack of League of Legends developer Riot Games, prosecutors said he acquired the stolen data later and sold it for profit.
He also allegedly hacked the X (formerly Twitter) account of Riot Games president Marc Merrill, using it to promote his illegal business that offered access to player accounts.
AFP Commander Jason Kennedy emphasized the agency’s authority under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize property suspected of being linked to criminal behavior, particularly cybercrime.
The AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) has secured the forfeiture of more than $4.5 million worth of assets, including a Queensland waterfront mansion, luxury car and Bitcoin, after identifying them as suspected proceeds of crime.
