Craig Wright dodges prison as UK court suspends contempt sentence

Craig Wright — a controversial computer scientist who falsely claimed to be Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto — has been sentenced to one year in prison for contempt of court, according to a Dec. 19 live transcript of the UK court proceedings shared by BitMEX Research and Bitnorbert.

However, the judge suspended the sentence for two years, meaning Wright will only face incarceration if he violates court orders during this period.

Meanwhile, Wright — who attended the hearing remotely — claims to be in Asia, with suspicions pointing to Singapore or Indonesia. His current geographic distance could complicate the enforcement of his sentence should he re-offend.

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a nonprofit group representing crypto firms, also secured a reimbursement of legal costs totaling £145,000, equivalent to $181,500.

Despite the judgment, Wright has announced plans to appeal the rulings.

The court proceedings

COPA initiated the contempt proceedings after a March High Court ruling declared that Wright is not Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, and barred him from asserting the claim.

However, Wright continued filing lawsuits, including one that demanded £911 billion in damages from Bitcoin Core and Square. He alleged that these organizations misrepresented Bitcoin as the legitimate version of the crypto envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto.

In response, COPA alleged five instances of contempt, asserting that Wright’s litigation relied on his false assertion of intellectual property rights as Bitcoin’s creator.

COPA’s legal counsel, Jonathan Hough, underscored the severity of Wright’s behavior, pointing to a history of contempt across three continents over the past two decades.

Hough also criticized Wright for targeting developers and bloggers with aggressive legal tactics, which he publicized widely through emails and social media. The lawyer argued that Wright’s actions aim to cause maximum distress to those involved.

He added:

“These contempts are so serious that a fine would not [be sufficient]. Can’t be certain Wright will pay a fine. Lack of means. Multiple clear breaches, rejection of opportunities to correct, Wright showing no remorse.”

Justice James Mellor agreed with Copa and found Wright guilty of violating court orders. The judge described his actions as a flagrant breach and instructed Wright to withdraw legal claims against Square and Bitcoin developers.