Bitcoin con artist, Craig Wright is getting dragged through the mud again. The difference this time is, the pain will burn a deep hole in his pocket. In fact, it will penetrate $150k+ deep.
A United State court has order the fake Satoshi Nakamoto to dish out $165,500 in legal fees for a 2-year long billion-dollar lawsuit. The presiding judge did Wright a favor by reducing the fees. However, he’s still on hook for a big legal bill, as stated by filed documents.
Dave Kleiman vs Craig Wright (Bitcoin on artist)
Dave Kleiman‘s estate initiated the lawsuit against Wright in Feb. 2018. In the filing, they claim Wright defrauded Kleiman by stealing his share of the BTC they mined together before his death in April 2013.
Also read: Craig Wright, The Fake Satoshi Nakamoto Failed To Prove He Invented Bitcoin, Again
According to court documents, Wright alledgedly stole 1.1 million Bitcoin from Mr. Kleinman. The bitcoin con artist is a former associate and business partner.
In a different kind of pandemic case, the court yesterday awarded Ira Kleiman’s lawyers fees of $165,800.09 from Craig Wright for dealing with discovery issues and general chazerai.
Should I write more about this or would you rather I pile on w/ more terrifying apocalypse news?
— Palley (@stephendpalley) March 17, 2020
Lawyers representing the Kleiman’s family requested $658,581.78 in legal fees, but the judge decided to award $165,500. The fees cover lost wages, transportation, lawyers, investigators, supporting staff members, and other expenses that were incurred thoughout the course of litigations.
Related: Craig Wright Book “Behind the Mask: Craig Wright and the Battle for Bitcoin” Dropped by Publisher
The judge cited excessive hourly rates as ground for the substential reduction in the awared legal fees. Early in January, Wright claim to have obtained the neccessary keys to access the “founder’s” Bitcoins stash held in “Tulip Trust.”
As it turned out, the Bitcoin con artist was just toying the courts and cryptocurrency community. Shortly after the courts ordered Wright to prove his the real inventor or forfeited, his laywers told Decrypt has not gained access to the BTC keys.
Faith Obafemim tech lawyer, digital content consultant, blockchain & crypto researcher, emerging tech tech writer. She is currently doing research on the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) on the blockchain and recommending Kleros as a dispute resolution layer.