Craig Wright Admits He’s Not Satoshi Nakamoto, Faces Perjury Charges

Updated: 17 July 2024

Disclosure

Don’t invest unless prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, you shouldn’t expect to be protected if something goes wrong.

Join Our Telegram channel to stay up to date on breaking news coverage

Craig Wright has admitted to not being Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto in a legal disclaimer on his website, and now faces potential perjury charges.

The admission was added to the home page of Wright’s website on July 16, and cites a recent ruling from the United Kingdom High Court of Justice. A link in the disclaimer also redirects readers to the summary of the findings presented by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA).

Craig Wright Claimed To Be Satoshi Nakamoto Since 2016

Since 2016, Wright had claimed that he was the mastermind behind Bitcoin. In 2023, he went on to sue several Bitcoin developers for allegedly violating his copyright on some of the underlying technology for the blockchain. He also claimed the rights to the Bitcoin database. A consortium of developers, exchanges and projects named COPA subsequently formed to defend victims of Wright’s legal attacks.

Earlier this year, COPA presented over 50 pieces of evidence that dismantled the computer scientist’s claims. COPA also called on forensic experts and on-chain analysts to testify that Wright had generated multiple forgeries and metadata which showed signs of tampering. After reviewing this information, Judge James Mellor agreed that COPA’s arguments indicated Wright was not the creator of Bitcoin.

In the recently added disclaimer on Wright’s website, the first two points admit that he did not compile Bitcoin’s whitepaper and that he does not hold any copyright to any of the technology outlined in the document.

Wright Faces Investigation By The Crown Prosecution Service

A legal document that was filed on July 5 shows that the High Court has also issued Wright with a World Freezing Order. The computer scientist’s assets were frozen shortly thereafter to aid podcast host Peter McCormack, who Wright sued for libel in 2019.

Craig Wright’s rant about the maximum penalty for perjury (lying in court) is ironic perfection.

😂

pic.twitter.com/TUfwas2T9q

— Daniel Sempere Pico (@BTCGandalf) July 17, 2024

As a result of the freezing, McCormack has managed to recoup approximately $1.9 million in legal fees that were incurred in the libel case. Wright’s troubles might not be over just yet, because Judge Mellor also recommended that he be investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service for perjury.