Craig Wright, the computer scientist who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin, was sentenced on Thursday to one year in prison by a UK judge for contempt of court.
This decision, issued by Justice James Edward Mellor, follows a thorough analysis of Wright’s conduct, which the court ruled included “significant and persistent falsehoods” about his status as Bitcoin’s founder.
The sentence, however, is suspended for two years, meaning that Wright will only serve time if he commits further offenses during this probationary period.
Craig Wright’s Legal Woes Deepen
This ruling stems from a high-profile case where Craig Wright brought a staggering $1.15 trillion lawsuit against Bitcoin developers and the payments firm Square. The court found that he had violated a prior order that prohibited him from publicly claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto and engaging in legal actions based on this assertion.
At the recent hearing, Wright reportedly expressed his intention to appeal the contempt finding, although he could not be reached for immediate comment. However, Wright’s legal troubles escalated when the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a consortium of cryptocurrency firms, initiated proceedings against him.
COPA sought a formal declaration that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, aiming to limit his ability to pursue multiple lawsuits against Bitcoin developers and others regarding intellectual property rights associated with Bitcoin.
During the six-week trial, Justice Mellor delivered a rare snap verdict, stating, “The evidence is overwhelming.” He concluded that Wright was not the individual who operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto and accused him of deliberately fabricating documents to support his claims.
The judge characterized Craig Wright’s actions as a “vehicle for fraud,” emphasizing that his extensive lies were aimed at bolstering his primary falsehood: his identity as Bitcoin’s creator.
In addition to the contempt ruling, Justice Mellor directed the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider pursuing criminal charges against Wright for what he described as “wholesale perjury.” However, as of now, no perjury charges have been filed against him.
Wright’s Claims Of Bitcoin Alteration Rejected
Craig Wright’s October lawsuit against Square and Bitcoin developers accused them of “misrepresenting” Bitcoin (BTC) as the original cryptocurrency.
He claimed that they had altered the original Bitcoin protocol without authorization, asserting that these changes deviated fundamentally from the system defined by Satoshi Nakamoto in the Bitcoin White Paper.
COPA on the other hand, argued that Craig Wright’s lawsuit violated the legal injunctions placed upon him, alleging contempt on five distinct grounds.
In his judgment, Justice Mellor ordered Wright to cease his legal actions against Square and the Bitcoin developers, stating, “There is no doubt whatever that each of these contempts has been proved.”
Craig Wright had been scheduled to attend a hearing to address the contempt claims but failed to appear, citing potential financial losses exceeding £240,000 ($303,000) as the reason for his absence. Reports suggest he is currently in Asia, possibly in Singapore or Indonesia, but he did not disclose his exact location when asked by the court.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $96,340, having lost the key $100,000 mark following the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) decision to cut interest rates on Wednesday. Currently, BTC is down nearly 5% over the past 24 hours.
Featured image from the Financial Times, chart from TradingView.com
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