Former St George Illawarra Dragons forward Trent Merrin has walked away from court without a criminal conviction after admitting to stealing a substantial sum of cryptocurrency from a fellow rugby league player.
Guilty plea and sentence handed down
Merrin, aged 36, appeared at Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, where he pleaded guilty to a single charge of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception. The court heard he transferred 1.06 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $140,000, from an account belonging to former NRL player Kaide Ellis.
Magistrate Douglass sentenced Merrin to an 18-month conditional release order without recording a conviction. In his remarks, the magistrate noted the matter fell "towards the bottom end" of seriousness but emphasised the role of the courts in delivering punishment and deterrence. "You could be a good vehicle to deter people," Magistrate Douglass told Merrin.
The details of the cryptocurrency transfer
Court documents revealed that Merrin had advised Ellis to create an account on the Coinspot cryptocurrency exchange. In 2023, Ellis set up a Ledger hardware wallet—a USB device for storing crypto assets offline—at Merrin's home, creating a 24-word recovery seed phrase in the process.
In October 2025, Merrin accessed Ellis's digital wallet and moved the Bitcoin into two separate accounts: one under his own name and another under a business partner's name. The theft was uncovered, and police later witnessed Merrin transferring more than $160,000 worth of Bitcoin back to Ellis, an amount that included interest on the original sum.
Merrin subsequently sent a message to Ellis apologising, stating he had found a Ledger seed phrase he thought was already used and could now see Ellis "was telling the truth."
Defence argues for a clean record
Merrin's lawyer, Paul McGirr, argued in court that his client had never intended to permanently deprive Ellis of the funds, highlighting that full restitution with additional interest had been made. McGirr described the situation as a "unique circumstance" and essentially a civil dispute that had been resolved.
"He wants to rekindle things with his very good mate, Mr Ellis," McGirr told the court. He further submitted that the damage to Merrin's public reputation and the ongoing media scrutiny served as a significant personal punishment and deterrent.
Speaking outside the courthouse after the sentencing, McGirr said the court "got it right" and that Merrin walks away with a clean record, recognised as a person of good character.
The retired NRL veteran, who was a member of the Dragons' 2010 premiership-winning team, was arrested at his Barrack Point home on November 4, 2025. The arrest followed a year-long police investigation initiated after reports of the stolen cryptocurrency from a 29-year-old man—later identified as Ellis, who now plays for the Wigan Warriors in the UK.
