Bitcoin Trading at Centre of High-Profile New Zealand Homicide Case

A New Zealand girl accused of murdering her aged mom allegedly deployed a crypto exit rip-off simply days earlier than, extracting 1000’s by means of fabricated buying and selling income whereas hemorrhaging over $40,000 in crypto and Bitcoin investments the 12 months earlier than, prosecutors stated Monday.

Julia DeLuney faces homicide prices in Wellington Excessive Court docket for the demise of her 79-year-old mom, Helen Gregory, at her Khandallah house on January 24, 2024. 

Prosecutors allege DeLuney staged the scene to make it seem her mom had fallen from an attic, whereas forensic specialists concluded the deadly accidents, together with a number of blunt drive trauma to the top, weren’t according to a fall.

Court docket testimony has now revealed how the previous college trainer’s crypto buying and selling dependancy grew to become central to the alleged murder, in accordance with NewstalkZB report.

Prosecutors say DeLuney had been stealing from Gregory for months and used elaborate crypto scams to extract last funds earlier than the homicide.

Monetary data present that between January 2023 and January 2024, DeLuney transferred over $90,000 (NZD $156,555) to crypto platforms.

Her earnings, together with over $53,000 (NZD $92,000) in deposits from family and friends, and $26,000 (NZD $45,000) of that from her mom, had been allegedly not sufficient to offset her spending.

By early 2024, she was $40,902.69 (NZD $68,000) in deficit, in accordance with New Zealand forensic accountant Eric Huang. 



Two days earlier than Gregory’s demise, DeLuney emailed her mom claiming a crypto funding made on her behalf had generated income of greater than $160,000 USD. 

She requested $18,000 USD (NZD $30,000) for withdrawal charges and tax legal responsibility, asking her mom to cowl half the quantity, charges {that a} crypto knowledgeable later testified had been “completely false” and indicative of a rip-off.

Gregory then deposited $3,600 (NZD $6,000) money into DeLuney’s account on January 23 and withdrew $5,400 (NZ$9,000) from her retirement fund. 

Pink flags

“It is all secure, mum, don’t fret,” DeLuney had allegedly advised Gregory when confronted about earlier unauthorized crypto investments, in accordance with household buddy Cheryl Thomson’s testimony.

As a substitute of crypto investments, DeLuney used the cash to pay bank card debt, purchase a Lotto ticket, and make funds to Sky TV, Afterpay, and Mitre 10, with solely $1,200 really invested in crypto.

The money deposit sample raised pink flags as on June 25, 2023, DeLuney made eight deposits totaling $18,000 (NZ$29,800) at good ATMs, with $12,000 (NZ$20,000) deposited in 4 transactions inside minutes. 

Whereas DeLuney allegedly believed crypto supplied anonymity for her schemes, blockchain evaluation agency Chainalysis identified to Decrypt that the alternative is usually true.

“Whereas criminals usually erroneously view crypto as a device for monetary anonymity, their reliance on the blockchain has allowed investigators to hint these transactions extra simply than would have been attainable with conventional cash-based cash laundering,” the corporate said in its newest crypto crime report. 

“In contrast to conventional monetary investigations, the place proof is usually siloed throughout totally different establishments, the blockchain presents a single, authoritative, clear, and immutable ledger,” the agency stated.

Throughout police interviews, DeLuney claimed she left her mom’s home to get assist after Gregory fell from the attic, returning to search out her lifeless. She maintains that another person killed her mom through the 90 minutes she was gone.

Nonetheless, police questioning revealed inconsistencies in her account, notably relating to blood proof discovered all through the home and on the attic ladder. 

DeLuney has maintained her innocence, together with her protection crew arguing police centered too narrowly on her as a suspect.