Former NRL star Trent Merrin has admitted to stealing $140,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a friend but has walked away without a conviction.
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The 36-year-old former State of Origin and Australian Test lock was sentenced to an 18-month community release order without conviction for the crime.
Merrin was charged after his former friend and St George Illawarra Dragons teammate Kaide Ellis reported $140,000 worth of bitcoin missing, sparking a year-long police investigation.
Court documents said Merrin advised Ellis to create a cryptocurrency account in 2020 while the pair were playing for the Dragons.
Ellis invested about $15,000 initially, but by the end of 2021 his investment was worth $90,000 as the value of bitcoin soared.
In 2023, Merrin helped Ellis set up a ledger via a USB dongle to hold the crypto, offering extra protection from fraud.
But the duo stopped talking after a breakdown in their friendship.
In late 2024, Ellis believed his bitcoin should be worth $140,000, but when he logged into his ledger he discovered his balance had been drained to zero.
During the investigation, police traced the bitcoin to a crypto account belonging to Merrin.
He did not deny transferring the cryptocurrency from Ellis's account, but he said he thought it was his own, the court documents said.
Merrin offered to pay Ellis back in October 2025, a few weeks before he was arrested.
On Wednesday, following a guilty plea, the ex-NRL star was sentenced in Port Kembla Local Court to a conditional release order that will expire in June 2027.
The order requires him not to commit any offence and appear before court if called to do so any time during the next 18 months.
During his rugby league career, Merrin played 13 games for NSW and was part of the team's drought-breaking success in 2014.
He also played seven Tests for Australia and more than 150 games for the Dragons, winning the 2010 NRL grand final with the club.
In 2015, he signed a five-year contract with the Penrith Panthers and then played one season in the English Super League with Leeds.
Merrin retired from the sport in April 2021, aged 32.
Australian Associated Press
