Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Creator Held In Contempt Of Court
Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist and businessman who claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin, has been held in contempt of court by a U.S. district judge for failing to provide information related to a large sum of cryptocurrency.
Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed creator of Bitcoin, has been initially held in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge Bruce Reinhart for failing to correctly provide information related to the $143 million controversial cryptocurrency.https://t.co/LARSR0MHsu
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) May 6, 2023
Kleiman Estate accuses Craig Wright
According to court documents, Wright was required to provide a list of all Bitcoin addresses he owned as of December 31, 2013, which is when he allegedly mined the cryptocurrency. This information is relevant to a lawsuit filed by the estate of Dave Kleiman, Wright’s former business partner who passed away in 2013.
Kleiman’s estate is claiming that Wright stole hundreds of thousands of Bitcoin from Kleiman after his death. The estate believes that Kleiman was one of the early developers of Bitcoin and that he and Wright mined the cryptocurrency together.
Wright has repeatedly claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin, going by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, but his claims have been met with skepticism and controversy in the cryptocurrency community. He has also been involved in several legal disputes related to his alleged ownership of large amounts of Bitcoin.
Contempt Ruling
In the latest development, U.S. District Judge Bruce Reinhart ruled that Wright had not provided a complete and accurate list of his Bitcoin addresses, and that he had lied under oath. As a result, Wright has been held in contempt of court and faces potential sanctions, including fines and even imprisonment.
The judge’s ruling is a significant blow to Wright’s credibility and could have wider implications for his legal battles over the ownership of Bitcoin. Wright has previously been involved in high-profile legal disputes, including a lawsuit filed by the estate of Dave Kleiman and a case in which he was ordered to pay $5 billion in Bitcoin to the family of a deceased business partner.
For his part, Wright has remained defiant, insisting that he is the true creator of Bitcoin and that he will fight to prove his case in court. However, with Judge Reinhart’s latest ruling, Wright’s legal troubles are far from over, and the outcome of the case remains uncertain.
