Queensland Hacker Loses Over $4.5 Million in Luxury Assets Linked to Cybercrime

Luxury items worth more than $4.5 million have been seized from a convicted hacker from Queensland. The seized assets include a beachfront mansion, a 2019 black Mercedes-Benz, and nearly 25 Bitcoin.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) took the assets in April after a long investigation into stolen cryptocurrency and hacking activities.

The items were linked to 32-year-old Shane Stephen Duffy, who was earlier convicted for hacking Riot Games, the U.S. company behind the popular video game League of Legends.

The investigation began in 2018 after AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial intelligence agency, received a tip from Luxembourg about suspicious Bitcoin transactions. Authorities believe Duffy stole 950 Bitcoin from a French cryptocurrency exchange in 2013. That amount of Bitcoin is now worth around $150 million.

Although Duffy was never charged for the Bitcoin theft, the AFP used proceeds of crime laws to freeze and seize the suspected illegal assets. The court officially ordered the forfeiture in April 2025.

One of the seized items, a waterfront house bought in 2018 for $1.1 million under Duffy’s mother’s name, is now worth about $2 million. Money from the sale of these assets will go into a government fund that supports crime prevention and law enforcement.

AFP Commander Jason Kennedy said taking away the profits of crime helps stop further illegal activities.

“Criminals are motivated by greed. The money they make from crimes often funds more crime. That’s why it’s important we seize these assets and return them to the community,” Kennedy said.

Court documents also show that in 2013, Duffy made over $32,000 by selling access to inactive League of Legends accounts. He also hacked the Twitter account of Riot Games’ president, Marc Merrill, and threatened the company. Riot Games reported financial losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Duffy pleaded guilty in 2016 and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, which he served on immediate parole. His lawyer said Duffy was a self-taught hacker with autism and had a difficult upbringing.

The case shows how law enforcement agencies are using strong legal powers to fight cybercrime and protect the public from digital threats.

Source: 7news.com.au