Inside NRL champion Trent Merrin’s alleged $140k crypto theft from teammate Kaide Ellis
Almost one year after his former teammate went to police after allegedly discovering his crypto wallet was empty, NRL champ Trent Merrin was arrested at home. Here’s what police will allege.
Former NRL star Trent Merrin allegedly stole $140,000 in Bitcoin from his former Dragons teammate Kaide Ellis, and invested it into an ice bath business also involving State of Origin superstar Zac Lomax.
Merrin, 36, was arrested at his Barrack Point home on Tuesday almost a year after his former teammate Ellis, 29, first alerted NSW Police that his cryptocurrency wallet had been drained dry.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal police will allege Ellis had been encouraged to invest in cryptocurrency by Merrin back in 2021.
That year was Merrin’s final season of a decorated NRL career that saw him play more than 250 games, win a premiership with St George and represent both Australia and NSW in State of Origin.
Merrin and Ellis were teammates first at the Penrith Panthers, and then at the Dragons.
Merrin hung up the boots at the end of 2021, before starting an ice bath business Freeze Yourself, with his business partners understood to include one of the game’s current superstars, Zac Lomax.
There is no suggestion Lomax, who is not charged, had any involvement in the alleged offending, or knowledge of it occurring.
While ASIC documents list Merrin’s mother Karen – who is also not accused of any wrongdoing – as the sole director, social media posts show Merrin and Lomax as the ones promoting the business in Freeze Yourself polo shirts.
Aside from his ice bath business, Merrin also details on his LinkedIn account how life after football has seen him become an “entrepreneur (and) cryptocurrency enthusiast” - even speaking openly on podcasts about his interest in the digital currency.
Merrin’s enthusiasm for cryptocurrency saw him not only encourage Ellis to invest, but to then allegedly assist him to put his Bitcoin into a wallet which he also allegedly had the password to.
Like Merrin, Ellis also departed the NRL at the end of 2021 after more than two dozen games for the Panthers and Dragons, switching to the English Super League where he still plays for the Wigan Warriors.
At one point when Ellis logged in to check how his investments were doing he allegedly found his balance at $0.
Police will allege that at the time, after a spike in the price of cryptocurrency, Ellis’ investment would have been worth $140,000.
The Dubbo-born footballer alerted local police, before the State Crime Command’s Cybercrime Squad were also called in.
Investigators allegedly traced the cryptocurrency that had been in Ellis’ wallet to the accounts of Merrin’s business, Freeze Yourself.
Video from Nine News shows Merrin appearing surprised to find police officers at the front door to his home near Shellharbour on Tuesday morning.
Investigators spoke to him before carrying out a search warrant inside the house and seizing several electronic devices, which they said in a statement would be taken for forensic examination.
Merrin was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station and charged with one count of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception.
He was granted police bail, to appear before Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday, December 3.
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Originally published as Inside NRL champion Trent Merrin’s alleged $140k crypto theft from teammate Kaide Ellis
