- Former NRL forward Trent Merrin was charged by NSW Police over the alleged theft of AU$140,000 in cryptocurrency from a 29-year-old man’s account following a year-long inquiry.
- Investigators allege Merrin obtained a “financial advantage” by misleading the victim to transfer assets between digital wallets.
- Merrin, who retired in 2021 and has since promoted ventures in crypto and wellness, was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear in court in December.
New South Wales Police have charged former NRL forward Trent Merrin over an alleged AU$140K cryptocurrency theft from a 29-year-old man’s account.
According to a report from The Sydney Morning Herald, detectives arrested Merrin at his Barrack Point home on Tuesday after a year-long inquiry. Police said electronic devices were seized for forensic review.
Investigators allege Merrin obtained a “financial advantage”, which basically means he misled the victim to move their assets from one wallet to another.
Police have not identified the platforms involved or the status of any recovered assets, yet he has been granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear at Port Kembla Local Court on December 3.
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Scamming After Retiring
Merrin retired in 2021 after 250 first-grade games with St George Illawarra and Penrith, plus a stint at Leeds Rhinos. He represented New South Wales in the State of Origin series.
Post-retirement, he has promoted ventures in crypto and wellness, often under his own personal vehicle called Merrin Investments. He’s more known for being the founder of cold-plunge service Freeze Yourself in January 2023.
His LinkedIn profile is still up and, quite ironically, describes him as a founder “actively involved in building and backing innovative businesses that push the boundaries of technology and well-being.”
The case lands amid tighter Australian oversight of digital asset crime.
In February, AUSTRAC ran a broad compliance sweep across more than 50 crypto service providers and moved against 13 of them, including by suspending or cancelling registrations.
Last month, the government granted AUSTRAC new powers to regulate the ATM sector amid rapid growth in deployments.
Related: AFP ‘Crypto Safe Cracker’ Unlocks US$5.9 Million Wallet in Landmark Digital Forensics Breakthrough
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