TLDR
- Australian Federal Police seized 25 Bitcoin, a waterfront mansion, and a Mercedes-Benz worth $2.88 million
- Assets belonged to a Queensland man previously convicted of hacking a US gaming company
- Investigation linked the man to theft of 950 Bitcoin from a French crypto exchange in 2013
- No criminal charges filed for the Bitcoin theft, but assets were forfeited under proceeds of crime laws
- Proceeds from selling the assets will fund crime prevention and law enforcement programs
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has seized Bitcoin and luxury assets worth approximately $2.9 million from a Queensland man linked to a decade-old cryptocurrency exchange hack. The confiscation includes nearly 25 Bitcoin, a waterfront mansion, and a Mercedes-Benz sedan.
The investigation began in September 2018 when Luxembourg authorities alerted Australian law enforcement about suspicious Bitcoin transactions connected to the Queensland resident. The man had previously been convicted of hacking a US gaming company.
AFP investigators claim they linked the man to the theft of 950 Bitcoin stolen from a French cryptocurrency exchange in 2013. While no criminal charges were filed over the Bitcoin theft, the AFP obtained a court forfeiture order in April 2025.
From Gaming Hack to Asset Seizure
Australian media identified the owner of the confiscated assets as Shane Stephen Duffy. He previously pleaded guilty to fraud and computer hacking in 2016 for selling personal data of League of Legends players.
Duffy was not accused of the initial 2011 hack against Riot Games that exposed data of over 5 million users. Prosecutors said he obtained a copy of the stolen data online and sold it for profit.
He was also accused of hacking the social media account of Riot Games president Marc Merrill. Duffy allegedly used this access to promote his business selling League of Legends player account information.
The AFP seized the assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act. This legislation gives them authority to “restrain and forfeit” assets suspected to be crime proceeds, even without criminal charges.
The Beachmere home, luxury vehicle, and Bitcoin were first restrained in July 2023. Authorities deemed them disproportionate to the man’s known income.
A Queensland District Court approved the final forfeiture in April 2025. The combined value of all seized assets totals 4.5 million Australian dollars ($2.88 million).
“The profits derived from criminal activities are often used to fund further criminal acts,” said AFP Commander Jason Kennedy. “This is why the AFP works closely with our partners in the CACT to target the proceeds of crime.”
The Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) has been investigating historic crypto theft and cyber hacking offenses since 2018. Their work has expanded as cryptocurrency-related crimes continue to rise.
The AFP told Decrypt that the Bitcoin value “was determined some time ago when it was sold, so it may have appreciated since.” This explains potential discrepancies in reported values.
All proceeds from selling the assets will be directed to a special purpose fund. This Commonwealth Confiscated Assets Account supports crime prevention and law enforcement programs.
The CACT has used its powers to restrain over $1.2 billion in assets since July 2019. These include houses, cars, yachts, cryptocurrency, and fine art.
Other recent CACT actions include seizing $6 million in digital assets in October 2024. That case was tied to Ghost, an encrypted communications platform under investigation through Operation Kraken.
The taskforce also confiscated $500,000 in crypto connected to firearms trafficking. An additional $330,000 was seized from a Gold Coast money laundering operation.
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