Sask. court orders trial in fraud case after $100K in stolen cash was traded for bitcoin
CTV
A case involving stolen funds from a Saskatchewan business being used to purchase cryptocurrency will be heading back to the courts, thanks to a new decision by Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal.
A case involving stolen funds from a Saskatchewan business being used to purchase cryptocurrency will be heading back to the courts, thanks to a new decision by Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal.
The case revolves around an incident that took place in October of 2019.
Court documents outline that a man named Denzel Blackett fraudulently withdrew $110,672.97 from 4 Star Ventures’ account held at Innovation Credit Union (ICU).
According to its website, 4 Star Ventures operates as a power tong and pressure testing company based out of Gull Lake, Sask.
The vast majority of the funds, $103,932.50, were used to purchase Bitcoin. Blackett was arrested and charged by Durham Ontario Regional Police in March of 2020 for his actions in the fraud.
The appeal does not include Blackett, but rather focuses on 4 Star Ventures’ efforts to regain the funds from Secure Digital Markets (SDM), the business that sold Blackett the 9.6823 Bitcoins with the stolen funds.
The original matter was heard in Saskatchewan’s Court of King’s Bench in Swift Current in June of 2023 – where the court granted summary judgement in favour of SDM. The company was entitled to keep the funds held in court and was entitled to any accumulated interest.
