UK Judge Accuses Craig Wright of Continuous and Extensive Falsehoods Regarding Bitcoin’s Creation
An American computer scientist named Craig Wright has been found guilty of lying and committing forgery during his recent trial, according to a ruling by a U.K. High Court judge. The judge, Justice James Mellor, stated in a written judgment that Wright had engaged in perjury and had used fraudulent documents to support false claims. Mellor concluded that Wright’s lies and forged documents were all in service of his biggest lie: his claim to be the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.
This ruling comes after Mellor had previously determined in March that Wright was not Nakamoto and had not authored Bitcoin’s foundational document. Mellor expressed his belief that Wright had falsely presented himself as an extremely intelligent individual, but in reality, he was not as clever as he believed.
Wright’s claim to be the mastermind behind Bitcoin has been met with skepticism and controversy over the years, leading to a legal battle with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a prominent player in the cryptocurrency industry. COPA filed a lawsuit against Wright in 2021, initially accusing him of forgery and later adding perjury to the charges.
Wright has not publicly responded to Mellor’s statements but mentioned on X that he intends to appeal the court’s decision on the matter of his identity.
The implications of this ruling are significant for the cryptocurrency industry. It confirms that Bitcoin is decentralized and without a single leader, ensuring that no individual can claim sole ownership of its origins. This court ruling finally puts to rest one of the most controversial and widely publicized claims regarding the pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
The legal consequences of Wright’s perjury are yet to be determined, but in March, $7.6 million of his assets were frozen to prevent him from moving them offshore to avoid the costs of the case.
Wright had attempted to settle the dispute with COPA out of court in January, but COPA declined the offer, sensing that they had the upper hand.
