Craig Wright receives suspended sentence and fine in UK case

Craig Wright, the Australian who has long claimed to be Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) creator Satoshi Nakamoto, was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence for contempt of court in the United Kingdom.

The sentencing, delivered on December 19 by Judge James Mellor, includes 12 months of imprisonment suspended for two years and a fine of £145,000 (around $180,000).

The contempt charges stem from Wright’s continued filing of lawsuits against Bitcoin developers, in violation of a July court order.

These lawsuits were based on his disputed claim of being Satoshi Nakamoto.

The case was initiated by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), which accused Wright of breaching the court’s directive.

Earlier in March, a UK court ruled that Wright was not the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.

Wright acknowledged the court's decision on his website in July.

Despite this, he filed over 100 lawsuits seeking damages totaling roughly £900 billion, according to COPA attorney Jonathan Hough.

Hough criticised these legal actions as “a desperate publicity stunt to keep his cultish supporters engaged.”

Wright’s appeal against the March ruling was denied by the UK Court of Appeal, which noted “multiple falsehoods” in his filing.

It remains unclear if an arrest warrant will be issued following the recent ruling.

The crypto community has long debated the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, but no definitive evidence has emerged.

COPA and other groups continue to challenge what they view as misuse of intellectual property claims.

In a related legal matter, Wright had his assets frozen by a UK high court in July.

This action was aimed at helping podcaster Peter McCormack recover $1.9 million in legal costs stemming from a defamation lawsuit Wright had filed.