A computer scientist from Australia who falsely claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin has been given a one-year suspended prison sentence after the High Court in London found him guilty of contempt for continuing to sue people.
The judge, Mellor, revealed that Craig Wright, 54, was actually Satoshi Nakamoto, the individual behind Bitcoin. It was discovered that he had been deceitful about his claims.
Wright had asserted ownership of intellectual property related to Bitcoin, but the High Court determined that he had lied about his involvement and produced fake documents on a large scale. His claim was subsequently revoked.
Despite being instructed to stop legal action against Bitcoin developers, Wright proceeded to file a lawsuit against cryptocurrency developers concerning intellectual property matters. This resulted in lawsuits totaling over £900 billion.
During the court proceedings, it was stated that Wright had made repeated claims of being Nakamoto, causing distress to individuals associated with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (Copa).
Wright was found guilty on five counts of contempt of court and sentenced to a 12-month suspended prison term, along with a requirement to pay £145,000 in costs within two weeks.
His recent legal actions were described as a desperate attempt to gain publicity, with claims of judicial bias and mistreatment being made. The judge ultimately confirmed Wright’s contempt without a doubt.
During the court session, Wright, appearing via video link from an undisclosed location in Asia, expressed intent to appeal the decision. He had refused to attend in person unless compensated for costs and lost profits.
In a previous High Court ruling, Mellor stated that Wright was not as clever as he portrayed himself to be and had lied extensively regarding his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto.
Source: www.theguardian.com
