Former Leeds Rhinos and Australia forward Trent Merrin has been charged over a bizarre crime Down Under, after being alleged to have stolen $140,000 worth of cryptocurrency.
Merrin, who spent one season in Super League with the Rhinos in 2019 before returning to the NRL to finish his career, has since reinvented himself as an entrepreneur and specialises in crypto, according to reports Down Under.
But he has now been charged with allegedly using deceptive means to transfer a significant sum of money – the investigation is believed to relate to Bitcoin according to 9News – from the account of a victim. He has been accused of accessing the crypto account of a 29-year-old individual and transferring the sum of $140,000.
Merrin was arrested at his home on Tuesday and taken into custody for an interview, before being subsequently charged. He has been granted conditional bail and will appear before court on December 3.
Merrin’s home was also raided and electronic devices were taken for forensic investigation to assist the police with their enquiries.
