Key Takeaways
Stephen Mollah, subject to fraud charges, alleges to be Satoshi Nakamoto.
Mollah was unable to provide proof to back his claim of being the creator of Bitcoin.
Stephen Mollah, a British entrepreneur facing charges of fraud over his assertions of being Satoshi Nakamoto, tried to validate his identity as the inventor of Bitcoin in a press conference held in London on October 31, as covered by Joe Tidy, a cyber correspondent from BBC News present at the event.
Author: Joe Tidy
However, Mollah’s attempt to corroborate his assertion was unsuccessful. As per Tidy, Mollah, who characterized himself as an economic and monetary scientist, could not carry out a proposed live demonstration due to issues with his laptop. He recollected previous attempts to disclose his identity, including a supposed interview with BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones that never came to fruition.
Tidy reported that Mollah displayed “a series of simple-to-fabricate screenshots” as proof of his identity. When challenged by journalists for more substantial evidence, such as moving Bitcoin from the Genesis block or providing cryptographic signatures, Mollah said he would do so in the upcoming months.
Numerous attendees began to depart as Mollah struggled to uphold credibility, with one onlooker noting his noticeably anxious demeanor.
“Journalists (including myself) have interrupted Mr. Mollah’s lengthy backstory and asked him to present the promised evidence. Been here almost an hour and people are getting restless and increasingly disrespectful. Mr. Mollah’s cheek is twitching rapidly as he looks down at a doubtful crowd,” wrote Tidy.
The BitMEX Research team, who were also present, labelled Mollah “Faketoshi.” The entrepreneur allegedly claimed that he invented “the euro bond,” “the Twitter logo,” and “the ChatGPT protocol.”
The press conference, announced by PR London Live a day prior, pledged to disclose Satoshi’s identity. As per the press release, “Satoshi” stated that “escalating legal pressures” compelled them to reveal themselves.
It is reported that Mollah and the event’s coordinator, Charles Anderson, were accused of falsely asserting ownership of 165,000 Bitcoin supposedly stored in Singapore, with the intention to deceive an individual named Dalmit Dohil.
Both individuals have pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud by false representation. Their trial is scheduled for November 3, 2025, following their release on unconditional bail.
In the end, both Mollah and Anderson failed to deliver on their pledges. The most conclusive method to validate Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity requires moving Bitcoin from known Satoshi addresses or providing cryptographic signatures linked to the original Bitcoin software, neither of which was shown at the event.
This has only deepened doubts about Mollah’s claims and left the actual identity of Bitcoin’s inventor cloaked in mystery once more.