Simply put
- Prosecutors allege that Julia Delney forged cryptocurrency profits and asked her mother for a fake withdrawal fee of $18,000 just two days before her passing.
- Financial records indicate that Delney lost over $40,000 in cryptocurrency within a year, funding these losses primarily with her mother’s money.
- Chainalysis has stated that blockchain forensics can track financial activity, challenging the notion of anonymity often associated with cryptocurrency in criminal activities.
A woman from New Zealand, accused of murdering her elderly mother, mentioned on Monday that she had recently engaged in a cryptocurrency exit scam, taking advantage of numerous individuals and losing over $40,000 in crypto and Bitcoin investments.
Julia Delney is facing murder charges set for January 24, 2024, in Wellington High Court following the death of her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory.
Prosecutors argue that Delney manipulated the scene to suggest her mother fell from the attic. However, forensic specialists stated that the severe injuries, which included multiple blunt injuries to the head, did not align with such a fall.
Court testimonies revealed that Delney’s alleged cryptocurrency dependency was central to the claims surrounding the murder.
They assert that for several months, Delney had been stealing from Gregory while employing intricate scams related to cryptocurrency to obtain final payments before the murder.
Financial documentation reveals that between January 2023 and January 2024, Delney transferred over $90,000 (NZD $156,555).
Though she claimed to have received $53,000 (NZD $92,000) from friends and family, it appears this was insufficient to cover her expenses, which included $26,000 (NZD $45,000) from her mother.
As of early 2024, there was a reported deficit of $40,902.69 (NZD $68,000), as per New Zealand forensic accountant Eric Fan.
Just two days prior to Gregory’s death, Delney emailed her mother about the lucrative profits from her crypto investments, which she claimed amounted to over $160,000.
In this communication, she requested $18,000 (NZD $30,000) to cover withdrawal fees and tax liabilities, asking her mother to contribute half.
On January 23, Gregory deposited $3,600 (NZD $6,000) into Delney’s account, withdrawing $5,400 (NZD $9,000) from her retirement fund.
Red flag
“It’s all safe, mom, don’t worry,” Delney allegedly reassured her mother, according to a family friend, Sheryl Thomson, in light of earlier suspicious crypto investments.
Rather than focusing on legitimate investments, Delney reportedly funneled the funds into credit card repayments, lottery tickets, and various subscriptions, investing only a small amount in crypto.
The pattern of cash deposits on June 25, 2023, showed Delney totaling $18,000 (NZD $29,800) at Smart ATMs, along with $12,000 (NZD $20,000) deposited across multiple transactions in quick succession.
Though Delney seemed to believe cryptocurrency masked her activities, experts from Chain Orisis highlighted that tracking through blockchain can often be clearer than cash transactions.
According to their latest report, “While criminals usually think of crypto as anonymous, blockchain’s transparency allows investigators to trace transactions more easily than traditional cash methods.”
They further explained that unlike conventional financial investigations, where evidence may be spread across various institutions, blockchain provides a unified and clear ledger.
In a police interview, Delney maintained that she found her mother deceased after leaving the house briefly, asserting that someone else must have committed the act during her absence.
However, inconsistencies arose in her account, especially regarding blood evidence discovered throughout the residence and on the attic ladder.
Delney remains adamant about her innocence, arguing that law enforcement is too narrowly focused on her as the prime suspect.
