Who Really Created Bitcoin? Lawyer Launches Legal Battle to Find Out
A legal battle is brewing over the origins of Bitcoin, as crypto lawyer James Murphy has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The case centers around a claim that the DHS may possess crucial information about the people behind Bitcoin’s creation. Murphy, widely known online as MetaLawMan, is leveraging the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to compel the agency to release any relevant documents.
The controversy dates back to April 2019, when DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud made a surprising statement during a Miami conference. She mentioned that DHS agents had allegedly spoken with four individuals who were involved in creating Bitcoin. According to Saoud, the agents traveled to California expecting to meet a single person but discovered that the development of Bitcoin involved a group of four. This interaction, as described by Saoud, included discussions about Bitcoin’s purpose and its future trajectory.
Motivated by these statements, Murphy filed the FOIA lawsuit on April 7, insisting that if the meeting truly occurred, there must be records such as notes or emails. On social media platform X, he clarified that his request is straightforward: to obtain any documents reflecting the substance of that encounter. Should the DHS withhold information, Murphy is prepared to continue his legal pursuit to uncover the truth. He also admits that there’s a chance the agents may have been mistaken about meeting the real creators of Bitcoin.
Murphy’s case is being strengthened by Brian Field, an expert in FOIA litigation and former Assistant US Attorney. Murphy believes that the core principle of the FOIA is to ensure transparency, allowing the public to access government-held data.
For years, the question of who invented Bitcoin has remained unresolved, despite various speculative claims. In a recent instance, an HBO documentary controversially linked the cryptocurrency’s creation to Peter Todd, a well-known figure in the Bitcoin community. The claim was quickly dismissed by Todd and other experts. Similar theories have pointed to Nick Szabo, Adam Back, and the late Hal Finney, but none have been verified.
The broader crypto community remains divided on the issue. While some argue that revealing Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity could harm Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos, others believe it would clear up lingering doubts, particularly concerning potential government involvement. As the legal proceedings unfold, the mystery of Bitcoin’s origins continues to capture attention.
Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Coindoo and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, with nearly a decade of experience covering financial markets - crypto first, then everything else. It started in 2016 with Bitcoin. Like most people at the time, he didn't fully understand it - so he kept digging. Blockchain, tokenomics, the projects, the cycles. That curiosity never stopped, and eventually pulled him into traditional markets too: equities, commodities, macro. Not because he left crypto behind, but because you can't properly understand one without the other. What drives him is straightforward: he wants to know why something is happening, not just that it's happening. Most market coverage stops at the headline - price up, price down, here's a chart. Alex finds that kind of reporting actively unhelpful. If you walk away from an article without understanding the mechanism behind the move, what did you actually learn? He holds a degree in Tourism from New Bulgarian University - not the most obvious path into financial markets, but markets have a way of pulling in people who are simply too curious to stay out. He has authored over 200 in-depth analyses and more than 10,000 articles across crypto and traditional finance. He still thinks every day in markets teaches him something new. That's probably why he hasn't stopped.
