Former rugby league player Trent Merrin showed up in court this week over some pretty serious allegations. The 36-year-old is accused of stealing $140,000 worth of Bitcoin from someone’s account.
Merrin appeared at Port Kembla Local Court on the NSW South Coast but didn’t enter a plea yet. His lawyer, Harry Lollback, asked for a week’s adjournment because they’re still working out some of the facts. He’s supposed to enter a plea for Merrin on December 10th at the next hearing.
Police arrested him back in November after investigating for about a year. They reckon he got into a 29-year-old guy’s account, someone who’s believed to be a mate of his, and transferred out $140,000 in Bitcoin. He got charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, but they let him out on bail.
Merrin actually had a pretty decent footy career. He played 13 games for NSW and was there when they finally broke the Origin drought in 2014. Played seven Tests for Australia too. Most of his career was with the St. George Illawarra Dragons, where he played over 150 games and won the 2010 Grand Final. Then he went to Penrith on a five-year deal in 2015 before finishing up with one season at Leeds in England. Retired in April 2021 when he was 32.
Conclusion
The allegations against Merrin show how crypto theft can hit anyone, even former sports stars, with the retired player now facing fraud charges that could have serious consequences for his life after football.
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