Australian computer scientist Craig Wright has been convicted of contempt of court for persistently and falsely claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.
Despite a March High Court ruling declaring Wright was not Satoshi and ordering him to stop making such assertions, Wright continued to pursue legal battles, even demanding $1.2 trillion in intellectual property rights to Bitcoin.
The judge labelled Wright’s actions a “flagrant breach” of the court’s order, sentencing him to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.
If Wright continues his claims, he faces potential incarceration.
Wright, appearing via videolink from an undisclosed location in Asia, refused to disclose his whereabouts, complicating enforcement and potentially requiring an international arrest warrant.
Wright’s legal battles, described as “legal terrorism” by the court, included suing individuals and organisations that questioned his claim, putting them through significant personal and financial strain.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) initiated a High Court trial to stop Wright’s campaigns, culminating in a judgment that he had “lied extensively.”
Justice Mellor dismissed Wright’s arguments as “legal nonsense” and acknowledged that Wright appeared to exploit countries without extradition treaties with the UK.
Wright’s failure to provide credible evidence for his claim has left his assertions widely discredited, and the identity of Bitcoin’s true creator remains a mystery, as all similar claims have been debunked or dismissed.
