A prominent crypto attorney has taken legal action against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), demanding the release of documents that could potentially unmask the elusive creator of Bitcoin.
James Murphy, known online as “MetaLawMan,” filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on April 7, pressing the DHS to disclose any records of an alleged 2019 meeting between federal agents and individuals involved in Bitcoin’s creation.
Murphy’s lawsuit stems from statements made by DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud during a 2019 OffshoreAlert conference in Miami. In her presentation, Saoud revealed that federal agents travelled to California and interviewed four individuals they believed were behind Bitcoin’s inception — a comment that has since sparked widespread speculation.
“They sat down and talked with them to find out how this actually works and what the reason for it was,”
Saoud said at the time. The video of her remarks remains publicly available on YouTube.
After filing a court motion, Murphy expressed on X that if the DHS Agent’s account of an interview is accurate, documentation should be available. He emphasized that their FOIA request aims to obtain related emails, notes, or reports. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Field is aiding Murphy in the legal effort. While acknowledging the possibility of misinformation on Saoud’s team, Murphy insisted that the issue deserves a thorough investigation.
“If the DHS refuses to comply, I’m prepared to see this through,”
he added.
The lawsuit comes amid renewed efforts to solve one of the tech world’s greatest mysteries: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Last year, HBO’s controversial documentary pointed to cypherpunk Peter Todd as Bitcoin’s inventor — a claim Todd vehemently denied, calling the documentary’s evidence flimsy. Other names like Nick Szabo, Hal Finney, and Adam Back have also circulated, though all have denied being Satoshi. The latest ‘Satoshi’ claim also falls flat as Stephen Mollah fails to prove Bitcoin origins.
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