A high-profile trial is underway in New Zealand against Julia DeLunay, who is accused of murdering her own 79-year-old mother amid multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency schemes. According to investigators, the woman attempted to hide financial crimes related to fraud and the loss of family funds.
This is reported by Business • Media
Attempt to Conceal the Crime and Forgery of Reports
The former lecturer, according to the prosecution, systematically deceived her mother by presenting fake financial reports about supposedly profitable crypto investments. DeLunay swindled $18,000 from her mother under the guise of paying taxes and commissions for “withdrawing profits,” convincing her that her investments had reached $160,000. The day before the tragedy, the mother transferred part of this money to her daughter in cash and from her pension fund. A day later, the woman was found dead in her own home in the suburbs of Wellington, while her daughter claimed it was an accident – a fall from the attic.
However, a forensic examination revealed that the cause of death was a severe head injury that could not have resulted from an accidental fall. The prosecution believes that DeLunay staged the accident to mask the true circumstances of the crime. The investigation also established that a year before the tragedy, the woman transferred over $90,000 to cryptocurrency exchanges, losing at least $40,000, using funds from relatives, including her mother.
Evidence and Positions of the Parties in Court
In court, witnesses confirmed that DeLunay insisted her finances were “under control,” while in reality, she was hiding significant losses. Additionally, Chainalysis experts noted that it was precisely through blockchain analytics that law enforcement was able to quickly trace the movement of funds and debunk the myth of complete anonymity in cryptocurrencies.
“Although 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 in traditional cash-based money laundering,” states the Chainalysis report.
DeLunay’s lawyers assert her innocence, insisting that the police did not consider alternative versions of events. At the same time, the investigation notes numerous inconsistencies in the defendant’s testimony, the presence of blood at the crime scene, and unusual financial activity before the mother’s death. The court proceedings are ongoing.
It is worth noting that New Zealand is already preparing legislative restrictions for cryptocurrency ATMs as part of the fight against money laundering.