Does following funds identify the person responsible?¶
No. A trace identifies the next address or service. Responsibility requires evidence of the account or key controller, their knowledge and purpose, and any ultimate benefit.
Destinations are infrastructure points first¶
Funds can reach an exchange, bridge, merchant, shared wallet, intermediary or unknown address. Provider records may map a deposit address to a customer, but registered customer, account operator and beneficiary can differ. Off-chain transfers or cash sale can continue beyond the last visible address.
Add attribution to every significant node¶
Preserve hashes, addresses, network, asset, amounts, times and provider identifiers. Mark direct observations and analytical inferences. Use provider, wallet, endpoint and communications evidence to establish control and instructions.
Do not say an address belongs to a named person merely because value arrived there. Report blockchain movement, address attribution, practical control and culpability as separate findings.
The point to remember
Fund tracing locates infrastructure and value; personal responsibility must be proved through control, context and state-of-mind evidence.
