Australian feds seize mansion, Bitcoin allegedly linked to crypto exchange hack
An Australian man from Queensland has forfeited nearly 25 Bitcoin, a waterfront mansion, and a Mercedes-Benz, valued at approximately 4.5 million AUD ($2.88 million), due to alleged links to crime proceeds. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) initiated the investigation in September 2018 after receiving information from Luxembourg about suspicious Bitcoin transactions tied to the man, Shane Stephen Duffy, who had previously been convicted of hacking a US gaming company. Duffy was also linked to the theft of 950 Bitcoin from a French exchange in 2013. Although no criminal charges were filed for the theft, a court forfeiture order was obtained in April under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The AFP stated that the seized assets would be sold, with proceeds directed to a fund supporting crime prevention and law enforcement initiatives. Since July 2019, the AFP's Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce has restrained over $1.2 billion in assets related to crime.
