Craig Wright Trial Includes Ninja Anecdote Cited as Proof He's Bitcoin Creator Satoshi

On Friday, Craig Wright's sister Danielle DeMorgan recounted how she once saw him dressed as a ninja and another time he was working in a room full of computers, evidence, she says, he created Bitcoin.

AccessTimeIconFeb 16, 2024 at 3:05 p.m. UTC
Updated Mar 8, 2024 at 9:41 p.m. UTC
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  • The trial to see whether Craig Wright is the creator of bitcoin completed its second week.
  • Wright's sister took to the stand on Friday along with two other witnesses representing him.
  • Wright left the stand on Wednesday after being accused of lying and making irrelevant allegations.

Crypto Open Patent Alliance's (COPA) trial to solve the mystery of whether Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto, the infamous anonymous creator of bitcoin (BTC), has just completed its second week.

The week ended creatively. Wright's sister Danielle DeMorgan took to the witness stand on Friday to recount a blog post that she wrote that stated when she heard the name Satoshi, a Japanese name, she knew that was Wright. In the blog, DeMorgan recounted the time she saw Wright in the park dressed as a ninja when he was 18 or 19 – a tale she says explains why she connected the dots. She added that she once saw Wright around 2007 or 2008 in a room full of computers and he explained he was working on something important.

Satoshi's Bitcoin white paper came out in late 2008.

Wright's witness Mark Archbold also took the stand on Friday. He had a discussion with Wright about digital currency in 2005 and believed Wright was Satoshi because of the encryption software he wrote in the 2000s. Cerian Jones, a patent attorney, was also questioned on Friday and her statement centered around how Wright's patents showed he could have been the creator of bitcoin.

Being associated with Wright isn't necessarily a good thing, Jones said, and when asked why by COPA's lawyer Jonathan Hough, she responded because "he's a very divisive character."

His first witnesses entered the courtroom on Thursday, and COPA's lawyers at that time called some of their memories "hazy" and not reliable. Wright finished his testimony on Wednesday, and COPA lawyers declared that many of his statements were "lies." Earlier in the week, he was also told by COPA's lawyers to stop making "irrelevant allegations."

The trial is set to continue next week. On Monday, more Wright witnesses will testify, according to the court schedule. David Bridges and Max Lynam will take to the stand, followed by his factual witness Stefan Matthews. COPA's witnesses will be questioned from Tuesday, and Wright is set to appear again on Friday for another cross-examination.

Edited by Nick Baker.

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Camomile Shumba

Camomile Shumba is a CoinDesk regulatory reporter based in the UK. She previously worked as an intern for Business Insider and Bloomberg News. She does not currently hold value in any digital currencies or projects.


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