Craig Wright Sentenced for Fraudulent Bitcoin Creator Claims
Craig Wright, the man who falsely claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, has been sentenced to one year in prison for contempt of court. However, the sentence has been suspended for two years, according to reports.
Legal Battle and Court Ruling
Judge James Mellor of the U.K. court handed down the sentence after Wright filed a lawsuit exceeding $1 trillion against Jack Dorsey, the founder of X (formerly Twitter), and Bitcoin developers. Wright alleged that he was the pseudonymous creator of the cryptocurrency, sparking widespread legal and public scrutiny.
Earlier this year, Judge Mellor issued a court order directing Wright to cease legal actions in the U.K. related to his claims of being Nakamoto. Wright’s failure to comply led to the contempt of court ruling.
“When it comes to the grounds of contempt, I have found each of them provable beyond a reasonable doubt,” Judge Mellor stated during the proceedings.
The suspended sentence means Wright will serve time in prison only if he reoffends within the next two years. During the hearing, which Wright reportedly attended via livestream, he declined to comment, aside from expressing his intention to appeal the decision.
The True Identity of Bitcoin’s Creator
Wright’s claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto have long been controversial. In a previous ruling in March, Judge Mellor stated that there was “overwhelming” evidence disproving Wright’s assertion. The judge noted that Wright likely committed forgery to falsely attribute the creation of Bitcoin’s 2008 White Paper to himself.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a nonprofit organization focused on advancing cryptocurrencies, launched the case against Wright. Key industry figures, including Adam Back, a prominent proof-of-work developer, testified against him. COPA, backed by major players like Jack Dorsey and Coinbase, has been vocal about debunking Wright’s claims.
“It is now clearer than ever—clear beyond any doubt—that Dr. Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto,” reads a statement on COPA’s website.
Wright Admits to False Claims
As part of the court order, Wright has updated his website to include a legal notice admitting that he is not Nakamoto. The notice details how he “lied extensively and repeatedly” and “attempted to create a false narrative by forging documents on a grand scale.”
The statement further acknowledges that Wright’s legal actions based on his false claims were “a most serious abuse” of court processes in the U.K., Norway, and the U.S
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