In New Zealand, a high-profile case is being investigated against Julia DeLunay, who is accused of murdering her own 79-year-old mother following a series of fraudulent activities related to cryptocurrency. According to the investigation, DeLunay, a former teacher, used forged income statements to convince her mother of the profitability of digital investments and swindled significant amounts of money from her under the pretext of paying taxes and fees.
This is reported by Finway
Investigation of financial fraud and circumstances of the crime
The investigation revealed that DeLunay provided her mother with fake documents and demanded $18,000 supposedly to withdraw profits from cryptocurrency investments, claiming that a profit of $160,000 had been made. The day before the tragedy, the mother transferred $3,600 in cash and $5,400 from her retirement account to her daughter. However, a day after the transfer, the woman was found dead in her own home in the suburbs of Wellington. DeLunay reported that her mother “fell from the attic,” but the forensic examination determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head, which is inconsistent with an accident.
The prosecution believes that the accused attempted to stage an accident to cover up her mother’s violent death. Financial analysis revealed that over the course of a year, DeLunay transferred more than $90,000 to various cryptocurrency exchanges, losing over $40,000 of that amount using funds from relatives, including her mother.
The role of blockchain in the investigation and the course of the trial
In court, testimony also emerged that DeLunay repeatedly assured her mother that she had full control of the situation. Analysts from Chainalysis played a key role in uncovering the scheme, as they were able to trace the movement of cryptocurrency transactions using blockchain data, thereby debunking common myths about the anonymity of digital assets.
“While criminals often mistakenly view cryptocurrency as a tool for financial anonymity, their reliance on blockchain has allowed investigators to track these transactions more easily than would be possible with traditional money laundering using cash,” the Chainalysis report states.
DeLunay’s defense insists on her innocence, claiming that the police are ignoring alternative versions of events. However, the investigation points to numerous inconsistencies in the accused’s statements, including traces of blood and suspicious money movements prior to the victim’s death. The trial is ongoing, and public attention is focused on the further developments of the case.