Crypto lawyer sues US gov to reveal Bitcoin creator’s identity

Crypto attorney James A. Murphy, known online as “MetaLawMan,” has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

This lawsuit seeks documents that may disclose the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin (BTC).

Filed in a D.C. District Court, the lawsuit follows a 2019 statement by DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud, who claimed the agency had identified and interviewed four individuals behind Bitcoin at a conference in California. 

Saoud reportedly said DHS agents spoke with the group to understand how and why they created the cryptocurrency.

Murphy is seeking internal records, including emails, notes, and other documentation related to the alleged meeting. His Freedom of Information Act requests, submitted earlier, have gone unanswered. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Field, a FOIA litigation specialist, is representing Murphy in the case.

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? 

The question of who created Bitcoin has remained one of the crypto industry’s great unanswered questions. Nakamoto, who published the Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and launched the network in 2009, disappeared shortly afterward. 

The identity—or identities—behind the name have been debated for over a decade.

Murphy argues the issue has taken on new urgency, given the billions of dollars invested in spot Bitcoin ETFs and a recent executive order from Donald Trump establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve using federally forfeited assets. DHS has not responded to requests for comment.

Crypto in America reporting helped with this article.