Living large in Queensland? Not anymore. An Australian man has been forced to kiss goodbye nearly 25 Bitcoin (worth a cool $103,141 each), a swanky waterfront mansion, and a shiny Mercedes-Benz, all scooped up by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) under suspicions the lavish lifestyle was funded by cyber shenanigans.
The total haul? A jaw-dropping AU$ 4.5 million (that’s around US$2.88 million). The AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) announced the seizure on May 18, stating the assets were likely linked to dodgy dealings, namely, proceeds of crime. And while no fresh criminal charges were filed, the court was convinced enough to sign off on a forfeiture order in April. Why? Because the loot had no trace of “identifiable legitimate earnings.” Oops.
The Gamer, the Hack, and the Bitcoin Bust
The man in question is Shane Stephen Duffy, a name that might ring a bell in the darker corners of the gaming world. Duffy previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to fraud and computer hacking after selling stolen data from League of Legends players. Although he wasn’t blamed for the original 2011 Riot Games hack that exposed the details of over 5 million users, he did admit to profiting off the leaked info, which he conveniently found online.
Duffy even took things a step further, allegedly hacking the X account of Riot Games president Marc Merrill to advertise his illegal little side hustle.
Now, the AFP is flexing its muscles, reminding everyone it has “unique powers” under the Proceeds of Crime Act to freeze and seize anything that smells like ill-gotten gains. Commander Jason Kennedy added that funds from these seizures are funneled into a special fund for crime prevention and law enforcement, so your next crime drama might be brought to you by Duffy’s ex-Bitcoin.
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. https://t.co/Wglk0m5K50
— AFP (@AusFedPolice) May 17, 2025
Since July 2019, CACT has restrained over AU$1.2 billion in assets, think houses, luxury cars, yachts, crypto, and even fine art. As for Duffy, it looks like the only game he’s playing now is “catch me if you can’t.”
HODL Team
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