Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor, Craig Wright, Facing $10 Billion Lawsuit
Despite Bitcoin’s massive popularity, members of the digital currency community still haven’t managed to crack one of the biggest crypto mysteries: who is Satoshi Nakamoto? In the past, Craig Wright publicly affirmed that he is the creator of Bitcoin, but following comments from the community, he decided he was no longer going to offer any proof in this regards.
A recent lawsuit may just prove whether Craig Wright had anything to do with the creation of the popular cryptocurrency. According to recent reports, Wright is being sued by the family of a deceased IT security expert for the whooping sum of $10 billion, equal to roughly 300,000 bitcoin.
To put things a bit better into perspective, according to the lawsuit, Wright reportedly used forged contracts and signatures, to claim bitcoin that had been mined in the past by Dave Kleiman, one of Wright’s early-career colleagues. The lawsuit mentions that the pair controlled roughly 1.1 million bitcoin when Kleiman died, funds which were held in the UK, Singapore and the Seychelles Islands. The lawsuit includes email traffic between the two colleagues, and alleged evidence that Wright is holding approximately 300,000 bitcoin that actually belonged to Kleiman.
The lawsuit claims that: “For reasons not yet completely clear, they chose to keep their involvement in Bitcoin hidden from most of their family and friends. It is undeniable, however, that Craig and Dave were involved in Bitcoin from its inception and that they both accumulated a vast wealth of Bitcoins from 2009 through 2013.”
Additionally, there have been statements regarding the unhuman conditions in which Kleiman died, reportedly found while his body was decomposing, with open bottles of alcohol and a handgun next to him. Until now, the exact details concerning Kleiman’s death remain unknown by the authorities and close family members.
This represents the world’s first lawsuit involving a person claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto. For those who do not know, the inventor of bitcoin has remained out of the public eye for years, and no one truly knows his/their identity. However, in case Craig Wright is indeed who he claimed to be in the past, this lawsuit may put an end to the biggest mystery surrounding digital currencies.