Judge Rules Craig Wright Lied About Creating Bitcoin and Faked Evidence

UK High Court Ruling: Craig Wright is Not Satoshi Nakamoto

Judge’s Verdict

A UK High Court judge has ruled that Craig Wright, who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, is not who he says he is. Justice James Mellor stated in his written judgment on May 20 that Wright had forged numerous documents to support his false claims.

“It is clear that Dr. Wright engaged in the deliberate production of false documents to support false claims and use the Courts as a vehicle for fraud,”

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Mellor wrote.

“I am entirely satisfied that Dr. Wright lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly. All his lies and forged documents were in support of his biggest lie: his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.”

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Courtroom Drama

During the trial, Wright was confronted with documents showing hundreds of alleged forgeries. Despite his prepared explanations, he failed to convince the judge. On March 14, Mellor delivered a rare courtroom statement:

“The evidence is overwhelming. Dr. Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.”

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Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase, commented on the ruling, saying it showed how unfounded Wright’s claims were.

Abandoned Lawsuits

Since the ruling, Wright has dropped several lawsuits connected to his claim of being Bitcoin’s creator. On April 11, he dropped an appeal in Norway against crypto influencer Magnus Granath, known as Hodlonaut. A few days later, Wright withdrew another lawsuit where his company, Tulip Trading, accused Bitcoin developers of fiduciary violations.

Ongoing Legal Battles

Three more lawsuits, where Wright accuses Bitcoin developers and crypto exchanges Coinbase and Kraken, are still pending. These cases are influenced by the COPA ruling but remain in place pending a possible appeal by Wright.

Impact on Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV)

The ruling has also affected Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV), a cryptocurrency network created by Wright in 2018. Following the judgment, the price of the BSV token fell by 40%.

Future Legal Actions

The judgment prevents Wright from bringing further lawsuits in the UK, but he may still pursue claims in other jurisdictions. James Marsden, a senior associate at law firm Dentons, noted that while the COPA ruling is likely to influence other courts, copyright laws are territorial.

Financial Backing and Future Prospects

Wright’s funding sources came into question during the trial. It is alleged that online gambling tycoon Calvin Ayre financed Wright’s litigations, a claim Wright denied. In March, Mellor placed a freezing order on $7.6 million of Wright’s assets to prevent him from evading trial costs.

Granath believes that Wright’s continued pursuit of his claim depends on the availability of funding.

“I think this is down to funding now, not Wright’s desire to continue to claim he is Satoshi,”

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he said.

Conclusion

COPA hopes that the judge’s comprehensive findings against Wright will discourage him from pursuing further legal action.

“This was an extraordinary proceeding. It could not have sent a clearer message to Dr. Wright and anyone else paying attention,”

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says Grewal.

“I’m not terribly worried about Dr. Craig Wright.”

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