Official announcements or press releases from the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)

Judge James Mellor Refers Craig Wright and Stefan Matthews to UK Prosecutors for Alleged Perjury Over Bitcoin Claim

Jul 16, 2024, 10:26 AM

Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who falsely claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym attributed to the creator of Bitcoin, has been referred to the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for alleged perjury and forgery. A High Court judge in London, James Mellor, found that Wright lied extensively and repeatedly to support his false claims. The judge ordered Wright to publish the court's ruling on his website, Twitter, and Slack for six months, stating that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto. Wright is also prohibited from republishing his fraudulent claim and must delete all published statements asserting that he is Satoshi Nakamoto. Wright must also pin his loss in the COPA case on social media. The CPS will decide whether to pursue criminal prosecution, which could lead to arrest warrants and extradition requests. Stefan Matthews has also been referred to the CPS.