Craig Wright Referred to UK Prosecutors for Consideration of Perjury Charges

Craig Wright, who claimed to be Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to be considered for perjury charges for evidence he presented in a case brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance.

COPA, a non-profit organization representing bitcoin developers, filed suit against Wright in 2021 for a once-and-for-all ruling that he is not Nakamoto, to prevent him from claiming copyright of the Bitcoin whitepaper and to stop him suing Bitcoin developers while purporting to be Nakamoto. COPA is funded by leading industry figures and companies including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and crypto exchange Coinbase.

In March, presiding judge James Mellor ruled that Wright was not Nakamoto, and in a May judgment said Wright had lied extensively throughout the case. In a filing today, he said U.K. prosecutors should consider whether Wright should be tried for perjury.

"I have no doubt that I should refer the relevant papers in this case to the CPS for consideration of whether a prosecution should be commenced against Dr. Wright for his wholescale perjury and forgery of documents and/or whether a warrant for his arrest should be issued and/or whether his extradition should be sought from wherever he now is," Mellor wrote in the court document. "All those matters are to be decided by the CPS."

Mellor also said evidence from Stefan Matthews, one of Wright's witnesses during the trial, should be referred to the CPS.

"So far as Mr. Matthews is concerned, it is true, as COPA submitted, that he has been a major player in Dr. Wright’s campaign to establish himself as Satoshi for many years, and in that capacity, has been a significant supporter and purveyor of that lie," Mellor said.

Wright has historically used U.K. courts to silence his critics.

Originally from Australia, Wright and his family moved to London in 2015. Within a few years, he began filing lawsuits against Bitcoin developers as well as his critics.

"Dr Wright’s threats of legal action and his actual legal actions have (predictably) impaired legitimate activities of cryptocurrency development," Mellor wrote, referring to the fact that his claim against COBRA led to the Bitcoin White Paper being inaccessible on the bitcoin.org site.

In 2019, Wright filed three libel lawsuits – one against early Bitcoin investor Roger Ver, which was dismissed along with Wright’s subsequent appeal; one against podcaster Peter McCormack, which resulted in Wright being awarded a single British pound in damages; and one against pseudonymous Bitcoiner Hodlonaut.

Hodlonaut, a Norwegian citizen, took Wright to court in Norway in 2022 to preempt the U.K. defamation suit. Hodlonaut won, with the court ruling that it was fair to call Wright a fraud. Wright dropped his appeal against that decision after the COPA ruling.

In addition to the libel and defamation suits, Wright used the courts to wreak havoc on bitcoin developers and crypto exchanges.

Mellor also had to decide on whether injunctions are needed to prevent Wright from pursuing further court cases under the guise of being the Bitcoin developer, as requested by COPA.

He granted one that would prevent Wright or the other claimants from pursuing proceedings in this and other jurisdictions regarding his claim to be Nakamoto and another preventing him from threatening such proceedings.

But he declined to grant injunctions preventing Wright from asserting he is Nakamoto or the author of the Bitcoin whitepaper.

"Dr. Wright is perfectly capable, once the dust has settled, of ramping up his public pronouncements again," Mellor wrote, adding that he would give COPA two years to apply for further injunctive relief if needed to protect the interests of the corporate entities and Bitcoin community they represent.

In late March, Mellor imposed a worldwide order freezing $7.6 million of Wright’s assets – the approximate amount COPA spent on the trial, which Wright will have to repay – to prevent him from moving them offshore and evading costs.

A U.K. court later ordered a further 1.55 million pounds ($2 million) of his assets frozen in the McCormack case.

COPA sought a payment of 85% of its costs, amounting to almost 6 million pounds in the COPA Claim and 115,000 pounds in a separate claim.

"I consider that 85% is the appropriate level for the interim payment due to COPA," Mellor said. He also agreed that Coinbase should be paid 85% of its costs.

Read more: Craig Wright Should Pay Plaintiffs' Legal Bill After Found Posing as Satoshi, COPA Says

UPDATE (July 16 15:18 UTC): Adds details, background throughout.