Craig Wright receives a one-year suspended sentence for defying court orders

Craig Wright, who has repeatedly and falsely claimed to be the pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, was given a one-year suspended sentence in the UK on five counts of contempt of court.

The IT guy was also fined £145,000, roughly $180,000, for his actions.

Wright has disobeyed the court order

During a hearing on December 19, Judge James Mellor ruled that the Australian national had breached a court order by filing claims against Bitcoin developers.

Despite an earlier order halting all legal action against the programmers, Wright challenged the ruling in October by launching lawsuits worth more than $1.2 trillion. He also repeated his discredited claim to be Nakamoto.

Jonathan Hough KC, representing the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a non-profit group of cryptocurrency companies, highlighted this challenge, stating that Wright’s actions were intended to inflict “as much distress as possible”.

Hough also told the court that the 54-year-old’s behavior had caused significant harm, describing his legal threats as a form of “terrorism” against developers and bloggers.

He argued that his recent demands were a “desperate publicity stunt” to keep his followers engaged. Former Charles Sturt University researcher had even accused the judiciary of bias, suggesting it was a victim of the British aristocracy because of the use of the term “Lord” in previous trials.

However, Judge Mellor dismissed these allegations and found that his contempt was proven “beyond reasonable doubt”.

The latest development comes after a March ruling in which another UK judge rejected Wright’s claims to be Nakamoto.

His ongoing claims of intellectual property rights related to Bitcoin were previously rejected by the legal system, which found that he falsified evidence to support his claims.

The court described his tactics as “large scale falsifications” and his explanations as “technobabble”. He also noted that the real Satoshi Nakamoto, who is believed to own one million Bitcoins, is likely a billionaire.

In July, the fake Bitcoin creator appeared to acknowledge this outcome by posting a tweet saying he was not the creator of the OG digital asset.

Details of the court appearance

According to a Guardian report, Wright participated in the hearing via video link from an undisclosed location in Asia, refusing to reveal his whereabouts.

He also refused to attend in person, demanding £240,000 ($300,000) to cover his expenses and lost income before complying with the order.

The courtroom was also packed during the hearing, with one viewer wearing a T-shirt that read: “This is just an elaborate fiction.”

Judge Mellor had previously criticized the Brisbane-born software engineer’s credibility in a high court ruling in May, describing him as “an extremely slippery witness” who had repeatedly lied to the public.

Meanwhile, Wright announced his intention to appeal his sentence after sentencing.

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