Fallen NRL star Jarryd Hayne allegedly lost $780,000 after being tricked by inmate into Bitcoin scam

Fallen NRL superstar Jarryd Hayne is believed to have parted ways against his will for $780,000 after he was allegedly duped by a fellow inmate in an elaborate bitcoin scam.

Hayne, 35, met Ishan Seenar Sappideen behind bars in Cooma, south Sydney, after he was initially jailed for raping a woman in her home on September 30, 2018.

The former Eels full-back has always maintained the sexual encounter was consensual – but following his release in February last year, when the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned Hayne’s conviction, a new trial was ordered.

Last month Hayne was jailed for at least three years after being found guilty of two counts of sex without consent.

And now it can be revealed that the fallen NRL star was among a handful of prisoners believed to have fallen victim to Sappideen’s sellout.

Hayne, 35, met Ishan Seenar Sappideen while behind bars in Cooma, south of Syeney, after he was originally jailed for raping a woman on September 30, 2018 (the soccer star is pictured right, with his wife Amellia Bonnici)

An alumnus of the exclusive Sydney Grammar, Sappideen promised a massive return on investment.

According press companySappideen said he once earned $290 million for clients when he worked for an investment firm alongside Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.

There is no suggestion that Cannon-Brookes had anything to do with Sappideen’s alleged connections.

It is alleged that the soft-spoken Sappideen convinced at least six fellow inmates – including Hayne – to wire more than $2 million into accounts he oversaw, between 2020 and 2022.

Sappideen, 42, from Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s east, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2018 of stealing $4.6 million from family and friends in the part of a Ponzi scheme.

He was moved from Cooma to another prison after questions were raised about his alleged financial dealings.

“Earlier this year, CSNSW intelligence officers became aware of allegations that an inmate at the Cooma Correctional Center was attempting to coerce and counsel other inmates to trade in the financial markets,” said said a CSNSW spokeswoman.

“The accused inmate…has since had his security clearance reviewed to allow for a higher level of supervision and less freedom. CSNSW refers suspected criminal activity to the Police Corrections Intelligence Unit, which shares intelligence with relevant state and federal police.

The complaints were forwarded to the NSW Police Fraud Squad as well as the Australian Federal Police.

Hayne was allegedly duped by Sappideen, who told at least six Cooma prison inmates that he could earn significant returns in Bitcoin-related financial markets

Since prisoners had no online access, funds were reportedly transferred by people outside the prison directly to accounts controlled by Sappideen contacts.

He then allegedly bragged to inmates about the monumental returns from his Bitcoin investment.

It is also believed that Hayne had a settlement deed drawn up in an effort to protect his alleged six-figure investment – ​​but the current whereabouts of his money remain unknown.

Sappideen is no stranger to the courts.

In addition to his 2018 sentence for a Ponzi scheme, he was imprisoned in 2005 for a similar fraud offense.

And in 2014, corporate regulator ASIC banned Sappideen from providing financial services after it successfully scammed investors out of $500,000.

At the time, Sappideen told clients that it had access to Facebook’s public stock offering.

In 2001, Sappideen – then a law student – was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to stealing $60,000 from his employer at the time.