- Satoshi Nakamoto identity will finally be revealed!
- Big shot crypto attorney sues US authorities for identity information to be made public.
- Years of speculation resurface as legal action seeks proof behind Satoshi Nakamoto’s real identity.
James Murphy, a crypto attorney, has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Also known as MetaLawMan, Murphy is seeking access to records that may prove the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.
Meanwhile, the legal action of Murphy is in response to the statements made by DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud at a financial intelligence conference in 2019. According to Murphy, Saoud claimed that DHS agents once interviewed a person they believed was Satoshi Nakamoto, along with three others said to be involved in Bitcoin’s (BTC) creation. He is requesting to see any notes, emails or documents about that alleged meeting.
Murphy stated on X,
“My FOIA lawsuit simply asks for the notes, email and other documents relating to that alleged interview.”
He added:
“IF the interview really happened as the DHS Agent claimed, there should be documentation of the substance of that meeting.”
Alleged DHS Interview with Bitcoin Creator
The case is centered around a presentation given by Agent Saoud at the OffshoreAlert Conference in Miami in April 2019. Saoud told attendees that DHS agents had flown to California and met face-to-face with the person believed to be Nakamoto, along with three others. The agents reportedly asked them about Bitcoin’s creation and their purpose behind it.
During her presentation, Saoud said:
“The agents flew to California and they realized that he wasn’t alone in creating this. There were three other people. They sat down and talked with them to find out how this actually works and what the reason for it was.”
Murphy claims that if such a meeting took place, DHS would have records such as briefing notes or internal communication. The attorney is asking DHS Secretary Christy Noem to release the documents voluntarily. If denied, Murphy says he is ready to continue the case in court.
Legal Support and FOIA Request
Murphy is backed by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Field, who has experience in FOIA litigation. The lawsuit seeks government transparency, asking for any written records that could verify whether there was a DHS interview of the actual person Satoshi Nakamoto.
According to the Freedom of Information Act, certain federal records are public. Murphy is using this law to retrieve any DHS files that might give more information about the people responsible for Bitcoin’s creation. But he speculates, the agents could have spoken to someone who was also not the real Satoshi Nakamoto.
Community Theories and Past Investigations
Speculation about who Satoshi Nakamoto is has lasted for years. Other potential candidates have been suggested, being several public figures such as Nick Szabo, Hal Finney, and Adam Back. None have admitted anything to do with the identity. Among the first users of Bitcoin, Finney passed in 2013.
In 2024, HBO made a documentary that told the world it is the real Nakamoto and its Canadian developer Peter Todd. Todd denied the claim, calling it “baseless and misleading.” VanEck’s Matthew Sigel, similarly, theorised that Twitter founder Jack Dorsey may be Satoshi, citing his online activity and timeline of development. This has not been confirmed.
