A press conference held today, October 31, at London’s Frontline Club presupposed to unveil the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Stephen Mollah, a British businessman currently embroiled in a legal dispute over the identical claim, progressed because the man behind the pseudonym.
Is Stephen Mollah The Bitcoin Inventor?
On October 30, a press release titled “Satoshi Nakamoto to Reveal Legal Identity on 31 October 2024” circulated widely. The discharge announced a live press conference scheduled for 11:30 AM (London time) on the Frontline Club in Paddington, London. It proclaimed:
“After over a decade of speculation and mystery, the world will finally learn the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive inventor of Bitcoin and the foundational blockchain technology. On this momentous occasion, Nakamoto will reveal his legal identity in a live press conference, marking a historic event within the cryptocurrency landscape.”
The supposed Satoshi Nakamoto was quoted as saying: “The time has come for me to officially reveal my identity. I’m facing significant legal challenges, and I feel the world deserves the reality.”
Joe Tidy, a correspondent for BBC News, attended the event and provided live updates via X. His observations paint an image of a disorganized and contentious gathering: “I’m at a London event billed because the ‘unveiling of the true legal identity of Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto’. An odd set as much as the press conference because the organiser asked me to pay £500 to attend and appear on stage to ask questions of the billionaire mystery man.”
Charles Anderson, the event organizer, took the stage first, claiming he had only two hours of sleep in 48 hours resulting from the overwhelming response to the announcement. Anderson made daring assertions about his own achievements, stating he had invented “energy recovery systems” in cars and the tv show “Britain’s Got Talent.”
The proceedings took a turn when a representative from the Frontline Club interrupted to make clear that the event was neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the club. This intervention led to at the least one reporter walking out.
Amid technical difficulties—specifically, an inability to get their laptop working—Stephen Mollah appeared on stage. He declared himself to be Satoshi Nakamoto and promised to supply evidence supporting his claim. Tidy reported:
“‘Satoshi’ and his organizer cannot get their laptop working so are doing the event offline for now. Mr Mollah is explaining his background and says he’s an economic and monetary scientist. He says he previously tried to out himself as Satoshi in 2016 but ‘someone stopped him’ nevertheless by talking to the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones who interviewed him but didn’t publish a story.”
Mollah’s claim shouldn’t be without precedent. Based on an October 10 report by the London Evening Standard, Mollah, 58, and Anderson, 67, are currently defendants in a non-public prosecution alleging fraud. They’re accused of falsely representing Mollah as Satoshi Nakamoto and claiming he owned 165,000 Bitcoin held in Singapore—an amount value billions of dollars.
The charge specifies that the boys “dishonestly” asserted Mollah’s identity and ownership of the substantial Bitcoin holdings, meaning to cause loss to or expose the alleged victim, Dalmit Dohil, to a risk of loss. Each Mollah and Anderson pleaded not guilty to a single charge of fraud by false representation at Inner London Crown Court. They were released on unconditional bail, with a trial date set for November 3, 2025.
Community Reactions
The Bitcoin community reacted swiftly and skeptically to the event. Many labeled Mollah as yet one more “Faketoshi,” a term used to explain individuals falsely claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto. Online forums and social media platforms were abuzz with criticism and disbelief.
One user commented: “Spoiler alert for the latest Faketoshi: Charles Anderson is the ‘journalist’ who’s ‘exposing’ Stephen Mollah because the ‘true’ Satoshi. Charles Anderson is a liar, and Stephen Mollah is a fraud. There must be zero tolerance for vermin like this in polite society.” One other added: “Definitely considered one of the more crazy people claiming to be Satoshi lol.”
At press time, BTC traded $71,880.
Featured image from X @joetidy, chart from TradingView.com