A Queensland man has lost control of millions in luxury assets, including Bitcoin, a waterfront mansion, and a Mercedes-Benz after Australian authorities linked them to suspected criminal proceeds.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP), through its Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT), announced on May 18 that it had seized 25 Bitcoin, a high-end car, and real estate valued at a combined AU$4.5 million (approximately $2.88 million). The assets were confiscated under a court order in April, which ruled they could not be traced to legitimate income sources.
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
The AFP’s investigation dates back to 2018 and was triggered by intelligence from Luxembourg authorities regarding questionable Bitcoin transactions. The man at the centre of the probe was previously convicted of hacking a U.S. gaming company and, according to the AFP, was also linked to the 2013 theft of 950 Bitcoin from a French crypto exchange. However, he was never criminally charged over the crypto theft itself.
Local reports from 7NEWS identified the man as Shane Stephen Duffy. Duffy pleaded guilty in 2016 to fraud and unauthorized access to computer data after he sold personal information belonging to League of Legends players. While not directly tied to the 2011 cyberattack on Riot Games that compromised the data of over 5 million users, prosecutors said Duffy obtained a copy of the data online and profited from it. He also allegedly hacked into the X (formerly Twitter) account of Riot Games president Marc Merrill to promote his illicit data-selling operation.
AFP Commander Jason Kennedy commented on a recent asset seizure, emphasizing the agency’s authority under the Proceeds of Crime Act to financially disrupt criminal networks. The seized assets will be liquidated, with proceeds to support law enforcement and anti-crime programs.
Meanwhile, in a significant crackdown on scam operations, the Federal Court of Australia approved the winding up of 95 companies suspected of running elaborate crypto investment and romance scams, commonly known as “pig butchering” schemes.
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