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Self-proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor, Accused of Swindling $5 Billion in Crypto

Self-proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor, Accused of Swindling $5 Billion in Crypto

Craig Wright is perhaps one of the most well-known names in the digital currency industry, especially since he has proclaimed himself as the inventor of bitcoin. While Wright has never managed to prove that he is in fact Satoshi Nakamoto, he has recently come under fire, as he is being accused of swindling $5 billion worth of digital currency alongside other assets from the estate of a computer security professional.

To put things better into perspective, Craig Wright allegedly used phony contracts and signatures, to lay claim to bitcoin that had been mined by Dave Kleiman, one of Wright’s colleagues, who unfortunately died back in 2013.

Craig Wright

In a recently filed lawsuit, Kleiman’s family claims that they directly own the rights to over 1 million worth of bitcoin, that had been mined by Kleiman during his lifetime. At this time, the assets are valued at over $5 billion.

In the complaint, the Kleiman lawyers mentioned that: “Craig forged a series of contracts that purported to transfer Dave’s assets to Craig and/or companies controlled by him (…) Craig backdated these contracts and forged Dave’s signature on them.’’

It is important to point out the fact that the pair controlled over 1.1 million bitcoin at the time of Kleiman’s death, funds that were held in Singapore, UK and the Seychelles Islands. In the lawsuit filing, email traffic between Wright and Kleiman was included, as evidence that Wright had been holding roughly 300,000 of Kleiman’s bitcoin.

At this moment in time, Craig Wright has not made any comments on the lawsuit, and he reportedly hasn’t chosen a lawyer to help him either. He also stands accused of violating the partnership duties that he had with Kleiman, and enriching himself at the expense of his partner.

Following news of the lawsuit, it is likely that some will start questioning the provenience of the bitcoin in question, and whether Wright is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto or not. Regardless, if he is indeed Satoshi, then chances are that he has enough bitcoin disposable to reach a settlement in this case. Even so, Wright hasn’t provided any evidence in the matter.

Based on everything that has been outlined so far, what are your thoughts on the lawsuit Craig Wright is facing? Do you believe that he is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto, or was it only a publicity stunt? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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