Fake Satoshi Gets Suspended Sentence in Identity Fraud Case
Craig Wright Receives One-Year Suspended Sentence for Contempt of Court in UK Over False Satoshi Claims; Legal Battle with Bitcoin Developers Persists.
Key Takeaways
- Craig Wright gets suspended one-year prison term in the UK for contempt of court.
- The sentencing follows Wright’s repeated false claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto despite contrary evidence.
- Wright’s legal disputes with Bitcoin developers continue to unfold, with a key hearing scheduled for December.
A UK High Court judge has sentenced Craig Wright to one year in prison. Wright, an Australian computer scientist, gained popularity for claiming he created Bitcoin under the name Satoshi Nakamoto.
The judge suspended Wright's sentence for two years.
This decision came after Wright defied multiple court orders. These orders had banned him from publicly claiming to be Nakamoto. They also prohibited him from filing lawsuits based on this claim.
The Court’s Ruling Against Craig Wright
At Thursday's hearing, Justice James Edward Mellor ruled that Wright had “lied extensively and repeatedly” to the court, labeling his claim about Nakamoto as his “biggest lie.”
The judge noted Wright’s actions included forging documents and submitting falsified evidence to support his claims.
In a detailed 231-page ruling from March, Mellor declared that “The evidence is overwhelming. Dr. Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.”
The ruling was supported by testimony from prominent crypto figures, including Adam Back, whose evidence helped discredit Wright's claims.
COPA, a nonprofit crypto body, brought the contempt charges in February. The group is seeking a formal declaration that Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto.
They also want to prevent Wright from pursuing multiple lawsuits against Bitcoin-related firms and developers. These include the likes of Square (now Block) for intellectual property rights over Bitcoin.
Wright’s contempt arose from an October lawsuit seeking $1.15 trillion in damages. In that suit, he accused Square and Bitcoin developers of misrepresenting BTC, claiming it deviated from Nakamoto's original protocol.
The High Court’s earlier injunction explicitly barred Wright from making such claims.
Wright’s Absence At The Court Hearing and Extradition Woes
Wright was absent at the Thursday hearing despite being ordered to attend in person.
The self-proclaimed Satoshi appeared via video link from Singapore. According to him, his attendance would result in financial losses of £240,000 ($303,000).
He refused to disclose his exact location, only stating that he was in Asia.
Wright defended his position against the sentence, stating, “I do not believe I am in contempt,” and offered to amend his lawsuit to exclude claims regarding Bitcoin's creation.
A further hearing to address the contempt claim is scheduled for December. Wright’s lawsuit against Block is currently on hold.
However, enforcing the suspended sentence could prove difficult as the UK lacks an extradition treaty with Indonesia, where Wright is suspected to reside.
Jimmy Aki
Drawing from his background in economics, Jimmy has monitored blockchain development for years, firmly believing in its power to democratise finance. Beyond offering commentary on the latest crypto developments, he also spends his time analysing open-source codes of promising projects on GitHub. Jimmy holds Bitcoin and Ethereum.
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