KB-2024-001295 - [2025] EWHC 3000 (KB)

This was explained in detail in Chave 2. In summary, using crypto-tracking software, Hampshire Constabulary have been able to track the funding of the three accounts, albeit not to the initial source of the funding.

The tracing exercise has identified the use of additional methods to obscure and anonymise the source of the cryptocurrency, namely (i) crypto-mixing services; and (ii) anonymous cryptocurrency exchanges. A crypto-mixing service mixes different strands of cryptocurrency with a view to making the source of each separate strand harder to identify. An anonymous cryptocurrency exchange is one which does not require the user to identify themselves.

The Lomax Binance Account holds 143273.57126 BUSD which can be traced back to three sets of transactions from crypto-mixers on 3 March 2020, involving 23.357164 BTC, 21.408734 BTC and 17.17257653 BTC respectively; (ii) two anonymous cryptocurrency exchanges (MorphToken and ChangeNow) which were the source of transactions on 23 July 2020 in the sum of 43.9929985 BTC and 17.13210981 respectively; and (iii) a Binance account held in the name of Daniil Vohrin and in particular three separate transfers on 3 March 2020 of 20.04371697 BTC, 25.12169772 BTC and 55.09052244 BTC. The source of this was over 100,000 Bitcoin Cash which had arrived in this account, in two separate transactions, on 2 March 2020.

The Holme Binance Account holds 42.378 BTC which can be traced back to Binance accounts held in the name of two individuals, Cameron McCreath and Kristian Federovic. The Cameron McCreath transactions involved four deposits totalling 2444.116825 Bitcoin Cash being received into his Binance account on 23 and 24 February 2020. The value of this Bitcoin Cash, at the time, was approximately $864,702.34 USD. The Kristian Federovic transactions involved nine deposits totalling 5104.49200759 Bitcoin Cash being received into his Binance account between 23 and 25 February 2020. The value of this Bitcoin Cash, at the time, was approximately $1,805,914.57 USD. The cryptocurrency that was held in these two accounts was mixed and together made its way via a number of other cryptocurrency addresses to the Holme Binance Account.

The Holme Binance Account holds 42.378 BTC which has been traced back to a transaction on 16 August 2020, in the sum of 109,068.88851 USDC which emanated from the Lomax Binance Account. Thereafter it was partly traded for Ethereum before the account was frozen. Accordingly, it has a similar source to the Lomax Binance account.

In his witness statement dated 26 January 2023 Cameron McCreath has explained that he also met D1 through the Call of Duty game and was asked by him to open a Binance account at the beginning of 2020. D1 provided the login details and all Mr McCreath did was upload his identity documents. After that, he had no control over how the account was used and no knowledge of the source of the cryptocurrency received into it.

Mr Vohrin and Mr Federovic are not registered to vote in the UK. They do not appear on the Police National Computer or Database. However, there is evidence that they both appear to use proton mail email addresses, which is common to the D2 and D3 accounts.

The Claimant has traced the source of the cryptocurrency to (i) deposits received into Cameron McCreath Binance account on 23 and 24 February 2020; (ii) three transfers from a crypto-mixer on 3 March 2020; (iii) transactions on 3 March 2020 from Mr Vohrin’s Binance account; (iv) nine deposits received into Mr Federovic’s Binance account between 23 and 25 February 2020; and (v) two transfers from anonymous cryptocurrency exchanges on 23 and 24 July 2020.