Former rugby league international Trent Merrin has walked away without a criminal conviction after confessing to stealing a substantial sum of cryptocurrency from a friend and former teammate. The 36-year-old ex-State of Origin player was handed an 18-month community release order in a New South Wales court.
The Breakdown of a Friendship and a Missing Fortune
The case centres on Merrin's relationship with Kaide Ellis, a former St George Illawarra Dragons teammate. According to court documents, Merrin advised Ellis to create a cryptocurrency account back in 2020. Ellis initially invested around $15,000, and as the value of Bitcoin soared, his portfolio grew to be worth approximately $90,000 by the end of 2021.
In 2023, in an act that would later seem deeply ironic, Merrin helped Ellis set up added security for his digital assets. He assisted in configuring a ledger device via a USB dongle, which is designed to provide extra protection against online fraud. However, the pair's friendship subsequently broke down and they stopped communicating.
The Discovery and Police Investigation
The situation came to a head in late 2024 when Ellis, believing his Bitcoin holdings should be valued at roughly $140,000, checked his ledger only to find the balance had been completely drained to zero. He immediately reported the missing cryptocurrency, sparking a year-long police investigation.
Detectives traced the transferred Bitcoin to a cryptocurrency account belonging to Trent Merrin. While Merrin did not deny moving the funds from Ellis's account, he claimed in court that he believed the cryptocurrency was his own. The investigation led to criminal charges being filed against the retired sports star.
Court Outcome and Career Legacy
In a recent hearing at Port Kembla Local Court, Merrin pleaded guilty to the offence. The magistrate sentenced him to an 18-month conditional release order, which will expire in June 2027. This order requires Merrin not to commit any further offences and to appear before the court if summoned at any time during the next year and a half. Crucially, it allowed him to avoid a formal conviction on his record.
Court documents revealed that Merrin had offered to repay Ellis the stolen funds earlier this year, just weeks before his arrest. The case concludes a notable fall from grace for a player with a distinguished career. Merrin played 13 State of Origin games for NSW, including in their 2014 series-winning team, earned 7 Test caps for Australia, and made over 150 NRL appearances, winning a premiership with the Dragons in 2010. He retired from professional rugby league in April 2021.
