The Australian Federal Police (AFP) seized luxury assets related to hackers convicted of cybercriminal crimes. Authorities seized $4.5 million worth of assets from convicted individuals, including beachfront apartments, luxury cars and Bitcoin.
Reports say Shane Duffy, 32, from Queensland, saw millions of worth of assets have been seized after a lengthy investigation into his illegal activities. He was arrested for stealing digital assets and stealing cyber hacks. Authorities seized a beachfront home in Duffy in April. Additionally, AFP’s Criminal Asset Forfeiture Task Force (CACT) also seized a 2019 Black Mercedes-Benz Sedan and roughly 25 Bitcoin.
AFP seizes $4.5 million worth of assets from hackers
According to reports, Duffy was suspected of stolen about 950 Bitcoin from a French crypto exchange in 2013. The assets are currently worth around $150 million. Prior to that, he had been convicted of hacking Riot Games, the US company behind the popular Video Game League of Legends.
In 2018, CACT began an investigation after Austrac was warned by developments about suspicious Bitcoin transactions by Luxembourgian authorities. However, authorities have not yet raised criminal charges in connection with the alleged theft. Meanwhile, they were able to halt allegedly suspected crimes under federal law, without the prosecutor.
Authorities were able to secure a 2019 asset restraining order, which was then confiscated in April. According to AFP, the assets include a waterfront apartment in Beechmere, in Queensland’s Moreton Bay area, which was purchased for around $1.1 million and is estimated to be worth around $2 million now. Authorities added that the property is held in the suspect’s mother’s name.
CACT seized $1.2 billion worth of criminal assets
After the sale of seized properties, proceeds are expected to be transferred to a special fund supporting crime prevention and law enforcement initiatives. AFP says it is still committed to confiscating suspicious proceeds to disrupt criminal and cybercrime activities. AFP Commander Jason Kennedy highlighted the laws that support the seizure. “The Crime Proceeds Act provides law enforcement with unique authority to control and confiscate crime measures and confiscation,” he said.
He added that criminals are driven by greed, but unfortunately it is the law-abiding Australians and businesses that lose their hard-earned money to these cybercriminals. “The benefits obtained from criminal activity are often used to fund further criminal activity, so AFP works closely with CACT partners to target crime revenues and ensure that they are reinvested in the community,” he said.
Reports say CACT has seized more than $1.2 billion in criminal assets since 2019. These assets include homes, cars, art, luxury goods and digital assets. According to court documents obtained by the media, Duffy allegedly accumulated more than $32,000 in 2013 through the sale of access to an inactive League of Legends account.
The suspect is said to have hacked the X account of Riot Games president Mark Merrill to promote illegal operations, and has allegedly partnered with another hacker to cut off players and disrupt the platform’s match. Riot Games said the Huck caused hundreds of thousands of dollars to lose. In 2016, Duffy pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, the term he served.
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