LONDON (AP) — Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who falsely claimed to be Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, received a suspended prison sentence Thursday for contempt of court after violating orders to stop asserting he invented the cryptocurrency.
The U.K. High Court handed Wright a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered him to pay 145,000 pounds ($184,000) in costs. Wright appeared remotely via video, saying only that he was somewhere in Asia while declining to specify his location.
Justice James Mellor noted that Wright “appears to be well aware of countries with which the U.K. does not have extradition arrangements,” suggesting potential challenges in enforcement if Wright violates the order again.
The ruling follows Mellor’s March decision that conclusively determined Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin whose true identity remains unknown. The judge also ruled Wright didn’t author the Bitcoin white paper or create any related technology.
“In both his written evidence and in days of oral evidence under cross-examination, I am entirely satisfied that Dr. Wright lied to the court extensively and repeatedly,” Mellor wrote in a May judgment. “Most of his lies related to the documents he had forged, which purported to support his claim.”
The contempt finding stems from Wright’s October lawsuit seeking more than 900 billion pounds in intellectual property rights related to Bitcoin, filed after the court explicitly ordered him to stop legal actions based on his discredited claims.
The case emerged from Wright’s lawsuit against Bitcoin developers, which was defended by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance, backed by tech entrepreneur Jack Dorsey. The developers countered with evidence that Wright had submitted forged documents to support his claims.
Wright’s suspended sentence means he won’t face imprisonment unless he violates court orders again within the next two years. However, his current location outside the U.K. could complicate enforcement, potentially requiring an international arrest warrant.
Wright could not be reached for direct comment, and a request for comment posted on his X social media account received no response.
The ruling marks the latest development in Wright’s years-long campaign to be recognized as Bitcoin’s creator, which has been repeatedly debunked through court proceedings and technical analysis.
