Australian Computer Scientist Craig Wright Handed Suspended One-Year Sentence for Contempt
- Craig Wright was definitively declared not to be Satoshi Nakamato by a London judge, who found that Wright forged documents and repeatedly lied to the court.
- Part of the ruling dictated that Wright could no longer pursue legal action related to Bitcoin.
- Despite this, Wright launched another lawsuit against Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, valued at US $1.2 trillion.
- The UK Court found this action to be in contempt of court, sentencing Wright to one year in jail (albeit suspended).
It has been a good year for crypto and Bitcoin in particular.
Therefore, it stands to reason it’s been a good year for Satoshi Nakamoto.
Unfortunately for Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, it’s been legally determined he isn’t in fact Satoshi…And you can tell because his 2024 has been a stinker.
First, a London judge definitively declared that Craig Wright was not the creator of Bitcoin, finding that the Aussie forged backdated emails as part of the trial.
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Now, Wright has been sentenced to a (suspended) 12-month sentence for contempt of court.
Could it get any worse?
Related: Australian Court Fines Kraken $8 Million for Operating Unlawful Credit Facility
Craig Wright’s Continued Legal Affair Comes Back to Bite Him
Craig Wright gained a reputation among the industry for loving a lawsuit almost as much as he loved proclaiming that he was the original inventor of the Bitcoin blockchain.
In fact, it was his trigger-happy legal fingers that got him in trouble in the first place.
Earlier in the year, the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) turned the tables and launched a lawsuit of their own against Wright, intending to prove once and for all that the Aussie was not Satoshi.
Judge Mellor ruled in favour of COPA in May, declaring he was not Satoshi Nakamoto. As part of the legal outcome, Wright was barred from pursuing further legal action relating to Bitcoin.
But… how does the saying go? A leopard can’t change its spots?
Unable to help himself, Wright launched into another legal battle with aplomb, this time targeting Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.
The value of the lawsuit was a whopping US $1.2 trillion (AU $1.92 trillion) – but something tells us Wright won’t be winning that one.
Judge Sentences Wright for Contempt, But Appeals Will Be Coming in Hot
The UK Judge Mellor found on Thursday that Wright’s action against Dorsey was “a clear breach” of the initial court ruling.
Meanwhile, COPA’s legal counsel Jonathan Hough, declared Wright’s latest attempt at legal warfare was a “desperate publicity stunt to keep his cultish supporters engaged.”
The court agreed with Hough, sentencing Wright on five counts of contempt of court.
Related: BitMEX Co-Founder Hayes Predicts ‘Harrowing Dump’ Post-Trump Inauguration
He was handed down one year of jail time, suspended for two years…but of course, that won’t be the end of it.
Can you guess why?
Yep, Wright will be back in action before long, as he plans to appeal Judge Mellor’s latest decision.
We can’t wait to see how that one turns out.
