A British judge has ordered Craig Wright’s global assets worth $7.6 million (£6 million) after it was revealed he falsely claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin. ) issued an order to freeze the equivalent amount.
The order follows Wright’s decisive defeat in a landmark lawsuit against the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA). In early March, Judge James Mellor debunked Wright’s long-standing claims, ruling that he did not write the Bitcoin white paper, create Bitcoin, or develop the initial software.
Now, Mellor has granted COPA’s application for a worldwide freeze injunction to prevent Wright from squandering assets and avoiding costs related to the case. A British judge ruled that Wright’s recent transfer of shares to an overseas company “raised serious concerns” about his intention to avoid an impending costs order.
Judge Mellor cites the freezing order ruling.
“That inevitably means that Dr. Wright falsified documents on a large scale and lied extensively and repeatedly during cross-examination.”
“Dr. Wright showed himself… pic.twitter.com/BBILIuZNG6
— hodlonaut 80 IQ 13%er 🌮⚡🔑 🐝 (@hodlonaut) March 28, 2024
Wright will now be required to disclose all assets worth more than $30,000 and will be prohibited from reducing his holdings below $7.6 million. The freeze reflects ongoing doubts about Wright’s credibility given his history of defaulting on court rulings and boasting of being “judgment evidence.”
The new freeze injunction further hinders Wright’s ability to pursue further Satoshi Nakamoto-related lawsuits. It also ensures COPA can continue to use its assets to cover the multi-million dollar bill it expects to recover after exposing Wright’s outlandish claims.
The British judge’s action to freeze Wright’s assets appears justified in light of his dishonest behavior. This story highlights that courts must use tools to prevent litigants like Wright from abusing the legal system and avoiding accountability.