<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Former </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/nrl" rel="" target="" title="NRL"><span>NRL</span></a><span> star Trent Merrin has admitted to stealing $140,000 worth of </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/cryptocurrency" rel="" target="" title="cryptocurrency"><span>cryptocurrency</span></a><span> from a friend but has walked away without a conviction.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 36-year-old former </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/state-of-origin" rel="" target="" title="State of Origin"><span>State of Origin</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national" rel="" target="" title="Australian"><span>Australian</span></a><span> Test lock was sentenced to an 18-month community release order without conviction for the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/crime" rel="" target="" title="crime"><span>crime</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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 </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/police" rel="" target="" title="police"><span>police</span></a><span> investigation.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bondi-beach-shooting-live-updates-accused-gunman-charged-victims-laid-to-rest-political-anger-growing/53d96844-9a46-44e9-84f7-06d91c5911a2" target="_blank"><strong><span>Alleged Bondi gunman charged with 15 counts of murder</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="Court"><span>Court</span></a><span> documents said Merrin advised Ellis to create a cryptocurrency account in 2020 while the pair were playing for the Dragons.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ellis invested about $15,000 initially, but by the end of 2021 his investment was worth $90,000 as the value of bitcoin soared.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In 2023, Merrin helped Ellis set up a ledger via a USB dongle to hold the crypto, offering extra protection from </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/fraud" rel="" target="" title="fraud"><span>fraud</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/ex-nrl-star-avoids-conviction-over-140k-crypto-theft/be20f9c3-aba4-4256-bb70-8d62bc971a65" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/mordialloc-riot-police-swarm-melbourne-beach-after-unruly-youths-thrust-supermarket-into-lockdown/eb077427-f423-4208-8fd6-4a5bc1b14469" target="_blank"><strong><span>One arrest made after hundreds of youths swarm Melbourne beach and nearby supermarket</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the duo stopped talking after a breakdown in their friendship.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/investigation" rel="" target="" title="investigation"><span>investigation</span></a><span>, police traced the bitcoin to a crypto account belonging to Merrin.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He did not deny transferring the cryptocurrency from Ellis's account, but he said he thought it was his own, the court documents said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Merrin offered to pay Ellis back in October 2025, a few weeks before he was arrested.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-monsoon-before-christmas/aee18fb5-8696-4151-8f53-dabb12ab3b0d" target="_blank"><strong><span>Early season monsoon burst to drench Australia's Top end before Christmas</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During his rugby league career, Merrin played 13 games for </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/new-south-wales" rel="" target="" title="NSW"><span>NSW</span></a><span> and was part of the team's drought-breaking success in 2014.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also played seven Tests for Australia and more than 150 games for the Dragons, winning the 2010 NRL grand final with the club.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In 2015, he signed a five-year contract with the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/penrith" rel="" target="" title="Penrith"><span>Penrith</span></a><span> Panthers and then played one season in the English Super League with Leeds.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Merrin retired from the sport in April 2021, aged 32.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a 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