Self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator Craig Wright is in hot water. A UK judge has found him in contempt of court and handed him a suspended sentence.
A Trillion-Dollar Lawsuit Gone Wrong
Wright, an Australian computer scientist, filed a massive $1.2 trillion lawsuit against the payments company Block. This action directly violated a previous court order preventing him from filing further lawsuits. The judge threw out the lawsuit.
Suspended Sentence, but a Warning
Wright received a one-year suspended sentence. This means he avoids jail time if he behaves and doesn’t break any more court orders. However, since he lives in Asia, enforcing the sentence might be tricky.
Not the Real Satoshi?
Earlier this year, a different UK judge concluded there’s overwhelming evidence that Wright isn’t Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, nor the author of the Bitcoin whitepaper. This ruling came after a lawsuit filed against him by the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA). COPA accused Wright of filing frivolous lawsuits against Bitcoin developers.
Another Lawsuit, More Trouble
Wright’s troubles continued when he sued Jack Dorsey’s payments company. This new lawsuit, according to COPA, broke a court injunction designed to stop Wright from filing Bitcoin-related lawsuits based on his false claim of being Satoshi.
Wright’s Response
Wright plans to appeal the contempt of court ruling.
