Mystery of Who Invented Bitcoin Hangs Over Scientist’s Trial

Speculation over mythical Satoshi Nakamoto is popular pastime
Jury to face dueling claims over $65 billion in cryptocurrency

Craig Wright, center, arrives at federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida in 2019.Photographer: Saul Martinez/Bloomberg

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By Jonathan Levin and Olga Kharif

November 1, 2021 at 1:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

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Cryptocurrency enthusiasts may be disappointed if they’re expecting a three-week trial in Miami federal court to finally establish the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.

But curiosity seekers will nonetheless be drawn to watch Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, the self-described inventor of Bitcoin, defend himself against claims that he swindled the estate of a deceased Florida man of its share of some $65 billion of the peer-to-peer currency and intellectual property related to blockchain technology worth billions of dollars more.