Craig Wright referred to Crown Prosecution Service to consider perjury and forgery charges

Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who spent years fraudulently claiming to be the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin BTC +1.59% and author of its whitepaper, Satoshi Nakamoto, is being referred to the UK Crown Prosecution Service to consider perjury and forgery charges. 

“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,” Mr. Justice Mellor wrote in a written judgment on Tuesday. “All those matters are to be decided by the CPS.”

Wright had brought litigation against several individuals and entities globally based on his false claims. However, the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), whose members include Jack Dorsey’s Block, filed a lawsuit in April 2021 , aimed at stopping Wright from asserting copyright claims over the Bitcoin whitepaper and suing Bitcoin developers.

In March, UK High Court Judge James Mellor ruled that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto or the author of the Bitcoin whitepaper, stating that the evidence against him was "overwhelming." In a May written judgment, Mr. Justice Mellor elaborated further, citing Wright’s “clumsy… fabrications” and “forgeries” of documents “on a grand scale” as the basis for the ruling.

Wright ordered to pay substantial costs

Mr. Justice Mellor ordered Wright to pay substantial costs on an indemnity basis due to his fraudulent litigation conduct. Wright was required to cover costs amounting to more than £5.9 million ($7.6 million) for the COPA Claim and £115,000 ($149,000) for the Bitcoin Core claim, with an interim payment set at 85% of these amounts, equating to approximately £5.1 million ($6.6 million). Judge Mellor set the interest rate on these costs at 8% to reflect the higher interest rates during the relevant period and COPA’s representation of mainly U.S. entities​.

Additionally, Coinbase's application for costs was granted at 85% of their incurred expenses related to a Worldwide Freezing Order, amounting to £900,000 ($1.2 million), while Judge Mellor set an interim payment of 80% for various other defendants represented by law firm Cooke, Young Keidan LLP, including Bitcoin developers.

Wright’s whereabouts are currently unknown. “The evidence shows that Dr Wright has left his previous residence in Wimbledon (in London), appears to have left the UK, has been said to be traveling and was last established to be in the time zone of UTC+7,” Judge Mellor wrote in the filing.

In March, a Worldwide Freezing Order of £6 million ($7.6 million) worth of Craig Wright's assets was approved to prevent him from avoiding court costs.

A spokesperson for Craig Wright did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Block.