Nicolas Turnbull

Nicolas Turnbull

Blockchain Forensics / Expert Witness / Wallet Recovery

Digital asset expert working across Australia, New Zealand and the United States. I work with clients and law firms - recovering lost crypto, giving expert testimony on blockchain matters, and building safer relationships with Web3. Co-founder of Crypto Consulting AU, Crypto Consulting NZ, Crypto Consulting USA & Cryptocurrency NZ.

01 / Services

What I do daily

Six practice areas across forensics, recovery, testimony, prevention, and general consulting - for private clients, law firms, and the courts in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Blockchain Forensics

Transaction tracing, wallet clustering, and on-chain investigation - from initial deposits through to off-ramp exchanges.

Tracing · Attribution · Clustering

Expert Witness

Court-ready expert reports and oral evidence - High, Family, and District Court matters across Australia and NZ, and now accepting United States instructions.

Reports · Oral evidence · Cross-exam · US instructions

Wallet Recovery

Recovery of lost or inaccessible wallets - seed phrase issues, damaged hardware, and legacy formats.

Seed phrases · Hardware · Legacy formats

Scam & Fraud Investigation

Independent investigation of cryptocurrency fraud - forensic tracing across layered wallets, exchange interaction analysis, and victim support.

Fraud analysis · Asset tracing · Victim support

Secure Custody & Setup

Hardware wallet setup, multi-signature arrangements, and inheritance planning - so the recovery job never has to happen. Prevention work for individuals, families, and firms.

Hardware · Multi-sig · Inheritance

Advisory & Consulting

General crypto advisory for firms, families, and individuals - covering safe custody, tax, education, and matters beyond the specialist services above.

Advisory · Education · Custody
Nicolas Turnbull speaking at Cryptocurrency NZ
02 / About

Crypto expertise across
Australia, NZ & the United States.

Nic Turnbull is a blockchain forensics specialist, cryptocurrency expert witness, and wallet recovery specialist. He has provided independent forensic analysis, digital asset valuation, and court-ready expert reporting to legal practitioners, instructing solicitors, and barristers across Australia and New Zealand - and now takes United States instructions through Crypto Consulting USA.

Nic brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise and established courtroom experience - having provided expert evidence in proceedings before the High Court, District Court, and Family Court of Australia and New Zealand. With over five years of direct industry engagement and more than 300 client engagements, he specialises in the forensic reconstruction of cryptocurrency transaction histories, retrospective valuation of digital assets at specified historical dates, and the recovery of lost or inaccessible cryptocurrency wallets.

He is Co-Founder of Crypto Consulting NZ, Crypto Consulting AU, Crypto Consulting USA and Cryptocurrency NZ, an Executive Council Member of Blockchain Forum NZ - New Zealand's peak blockchain and digital assets industry association - and co-host of the NZ On-Chain Podcast.

03 / Selected work

Case highlights

Expert witness testimony and forensic analysis across NZ and Australian legal matters. Every case anonymised - client identity and sensitive details never disclosed.

High Court
New Zealand

Homicide, civil enforcement
& relationship property.

Forensic tracing, wallet attribution, and beneficial ownership analysis. Reports served and oral evidence given at trial including cross-examination.

  • Trial testimony
  • Reports
  • Cross-exam
ACT Supreme Court
Australia

Criminal proceedings,
defence-instructed.

Independent expert report addressing cryptocurrency evidence relied upon by the prosecution. Oral evidence by audio-visual link at trial in 2026.

  • Defence brief
  • Report served
  • AVL evidence
Family Court
New Zealand

Relationship property
& asset discovery.

Identification, tracing, and retrospective valuation of digital assets - Bitcoin, Ethereum, NFTs, and DeFi positions - at the relevant separation date.

  • Discovery
  • Valuation
  • Oral evidence
Disputes Tribunal
New Zealand

Cryptocurrency
transfer dispute.

Independent expert view on a disputed cryptocurrency transfer - on-chain reconstruction of the movement of funds and technical explanation of the transfer mechanics.

  • Transfer tracing
  • AVL evidence
View full case work
04 / Ventures

What I've built

Four platforms serving Australia, New Zealand and the United States across education, consulting, and asset recovery.

Cryptocurrency NZ

Oct 2021 · Co-Founder & Director

One of Aotearoa's largest crypto education platforms - connecting thousands of Kiwis with trustworthy resources and community.

Visit site

Crypto Consulting NZ

Jan 2024 · Co-Founder

Wallet recovery, scam analysis, one-on-one onboarding and expert witness reports for legal cases across NZ.

Visit site

Crypto Consulting AU

Nov 2025 · Co-Founder & Director

Australian expansion - wallet recovery, wallet setup, and court/legal case support for Australians.

Visit site

Crypto Consulting USA

2026 · Co-Founder & Director

United States expansion - wallet recovery, blockchain forensics, and expert witness support for American clients and law firms across all 50 states.

Visit site
05 / Recognition

Awards & honours

2025 · Blockchain NZ Awards
Startup of the Year
Crypto Consulting NZ

Recognised for recovering over $2.1M NZD in lost and stolen cryptocurrency, supporting 300+ clients, and preventing 50+ individuals from falling victim to crypto scams in 2025.

2024 · Web3 Awards New Zealand
Company of the Year
Cryptocurrency NZ

Recognised for outstanding contributions to the NZ cryptocurrency and Web3 ecosystem - leadership in education, innovation, and community building.

Get in touch

Tell me what you're dealing with

Whether it's a lost wallet, a legal matter, or getting set up safely - describe the situation and I'll come back to you within 24 hours.

  • Response within 24 hours
  • Confidential, no obligation
  • If I can't help, I'll say so up front

Never send a recovery phrase or private key through this form, or through any website. Describe the situation in general terms and we'll handle sensitive detail securely.