Cybercriminal Shane Duffy Loses Assets to AFP in Civil Lawsuit
25 Bitcoins, Waterfront Mansion and a Mercedes-Benz
Shane Duffy, a Queensland man with a documented history in cybercrime, has been stripped of AU$4.5 million in assets, including a significant Bitcoin stash, a waterfront property, and a luxury vehicle. The forfeiture follows an extensive investigation by the Australian Federal Police's Criminal Asset Confiscation Taskforce (CACT), which linked the assets to proceeds of illicit activities dating back to 2018.
The case against Duffy began to solidify when financial watchdogs in Luxembourg flagged suspicious Bitcoin transactions connected to him, relaying this intelligence to AUSTRAC. This tip-off initiated a probe that delved into Duffy's financial dealings and past convictions.
Duffy is no stranger to law enforcement. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and hacking. These charges stemmed from his involvement in selling player data from the popular online game "League of Legends." Whilst he wasn't implicated in the initial 2011 breach of Riot Games, the game's developer, he profited from the stolen user information. Further allegations painted Duffy as a persistent figure in cyber misdeeds, including an accusation of hijacking the X (formerly Twitter) account of Riot Games' president, Marc Merrill, to advertise a service selling access to player accounts.
The AFP's CACT meticulously built a case demonstrating that Duffy's substantial holdings were inconsistent with any legitimate income streams. In July 2023, this led to restraining orders being placed on 24.99 Bitcoin, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz, and a waterfront home located in Beachmere.
The culmination of the investigation saw the District Court of Queensland, in April, order the full forfeiture of these assets under Australia's Proceeds of Crime Act. The Australian Federal Police officially confirmed the seizure on May 18. Notably, whilst Duffy faced no new criminal charges in this instance, the civil asset laws empower authorities to confiscate property deemed to be the proceeds of crime based on a civil standard of proof, rather than requiring a criminal conviction.
The seized assets, now under the control of the AFP, include the 25 Bitcoin, the Beachmere waterfront mansion, and the Mercedes-Benz, collectively valued at AU$4.5 million.
AFP Commander Jason Kennedy highlighted the effectiveness of the legislation in combating financially motivated crime. "The Proceeds of Crime Act provides law enforcement agencies with unique powers to restrain and forfeit instruments and proceeds of crime," he stated. Commander Kennedy emphasised the broader impact of such seizures: "The profits derived from criminal activities are also often used to fund further criminal acts, which is why the AFP works closely with our partners in the CACT to target the proceeds of crime and ensure they are reinvested in the community."
This successful forfeiture underscores the AFP's dedication to dismantling criminal enterprises by removing their financial gains and redirecting those illicitly obtained funds towards community benefit.