The Australian Federal Police Department has seized luxury assets associated with previously convicted hackers, including the beachfront mansion, including the beachfront mansion.
Shane Stephen Duffy, 32, of Queensland, has secured millions of dollars in assets after a long investigation into stolen cryptocurrency and cyber hacking.
In April, a beachfront home, a 2019 black Mercedes-Benz sedan and nearly 25 bitcoins were confiscated by the AFP-led Crime Assets Staff (CACT).
Duffy allegedly stole 950 bitcoins from French cryptocurrency exchanges in 2013, and is now worth about $150 million.
He has been previously convicted of hacking American gaming company Riot Games.
In 2018, the CACT launched an investigation after Luxembourg authorities announced Australians about suspicious bitcoin transactions.
The so-called Bitcoin theft did not lead to any criminal charges.
However, the CACT is able to limit the suspicious proceeds of suspected crimes under federal law, even if there is no prosecution.
Shane Stephen Duffy from Queensland (pictured) owns millions of dollars in assets
AFP-led criminal asset confiscation staff seized a beachfront home that was purchased for $1.1 million in 2018 and is now estimated to be worth about $2 million (pictured)
Authorities received a restraining order on assets in 2019, and were subsequently confiscated in April.
The assets include a waterfront luxury home in the Moreton Bay area of Queensland, which was purchased for $1.1 million in 2018 and is now estimated to be worth about $2 million.
The luxury property is held in the name of Duffy’s mother.
After the home is sold, the proceeds will be transferred to a special fund to assist in crime prevention and law enforcement programs.
AFP still promises to confiscate the so-called criminal proceeds to undermine criminals and cybercrime.
AFP Commander Jason Kennedy
Criminals are driven by greed, at the expense of honest Australians and businesses who are losing hard money to cybercriminals.
“The profits obtained from criminal activities are also often used to fund further criminal acts, which is why AFP works closely with partners in CACT to target the proceeds of crime and ensure that it is reinvested in the community.”
After investigation, a 2019 black Mercedes-Benz sedan related to Shane Duffy was also caught (stock image)
Since 2019, CACT has limited more than $1.2 billion in criminal assets, including homes, cars, yachts, cryptocurrencies, fine arts and luxury goods.
According to court documents, Duffy accumulated more than $32,000 in 2013.
He attacked X (formerly known as Twitter) on the account of Riot Games president Marc Merrill, to facilitate illegal operations and allegedly worked with another hacker to disrupt games on the platform by disconnecting players.
The company said the action resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
In 2016, Mr. Duffy was sentenced to two and a half years in prison immediately after pleading guilty in Brisbane District Court.
