Bitcoin Inventor Impersonator’s Case Referred to CPS

An Australian computer scientist, Craig Wright, who falsely claimed to be the creator of bitcoin, is facing potential prosecution for perjury and forgery as his case has been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Wright recently suffered a significant legal defeat in a battle with a group of cryptocurrency businesses who preemptively sued to prevent him from asserting his claim in court. The presiding judge, Mr. Justice Mellor, swiftly delivered an oral verdict immediately after the case concluded, underscoring the extent of Wright’s loss.

Mellor emphasized the overwhelming evidence that discredited Wright’s assertion of being the author of the bitcoin white paper, stating that Wright had lied extensively and repeatedly in both written and oral testimony. The judge pointed out that most of Wright’s falsehoods were connected to forged documents he presented to support his claim, labeling Wright’s actions as a severe abuse of the court’s process.

Even before the trial began, concerns were raised about the authenticity of Wright’s written evidence, with his own expert witnesses appearing to agree. During cross-examination, Wright dismissed these allegations and challenged the qualifications of his expert witness, asserting that if he had forged the document, it would have been flawless.

In a recent ruling, Mellor announced his decision to refer pertinent documents from the legal proceedings to the CPS to assess the possibility of pressing criminal charges against Wright. The ruling highlighted that Wright’s pursuit of his false claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto through various legal avenues constituted a grave abuse of the courts’ processes in the UK, Norway, and the USA.

The ruling further stated that the relevant papers would be forwarded to the CPS for consideration on whether to prosecute Wright for perjury and document forgery, issue an arrest warrant, or seek extradition, leaving these determinations in the hands of the CPS.

In a separate court case, Wright had sued a bitcoin influencer, Peter McCormack, for defamation, only to achieve a hollow victory when McCormack withdrew his defense based on truth. The judge in that case ruled that Wright had presented a knowingly false case and awarded nominal damages of just £1 to the Australian.