Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto released a statement this morning through his newly hired attorney fully denying the recent Newsweek report stating that he is the brain behind Bitcoin.
The statement was released to several news organizations and comes from the office of Nakamoto's lawyer Ethan Kirschner of Los Angeles. In the note Nakamoto categorically denied all the claims made in the Newsweek story that said he was the programming genius behind Bitcoin. Instead he offered up a litany of problems he has suffered both before and after the Newsweek piece.
"I have not been able to find steady work as an engineer or programmer for ten years. I have worked as a laborer, polltaker, and substitute teacher. I discontinued my internet service in 2013 due to severe financial distress. I am trying to recover from prostate surgery in October 2012 and a stroke I suffered in October of 2013. My prospects for gainful employment has been harmed because of Newsweek's article," the release said.
This is not the first time Nakamoto has denied any connection to Bitcoin. He has been adamant since the story first surfaced tying him to the now controversial Bitcoin that Newsweek was wrong and that he has nothing to do with Bitcoin. However, the email from Kirschner marks the first time Nakamoto has done so through a legal representative.
No mention of a lawsuit was made, but by hiring a lawyer Nakamoto may be attempting to fix two of his biggest problems that he admits to in the email. The bitcoin story and the fact that he says he is broke. Another possible indicator on potential future legal action takes place in the last paragraph where he expresses the damage done to himself and his family due to the Newsweek story.
"Newsweek's false report has been the source of a great deal of confusion and stress for myself, my 93-year old mother, my siblings, and their families. I offer my sincerest thanks to those people in the United States and around the world who have offered me their support. I have retained legal counsel. This will be our last public statement on this matter. I ask that you now respect our privacy," he said.
Nakamoto's saga is just one part of a string of disasters that have befallen the digital currency. The largest Bitcoin, Mt. Gox, filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States and Japan. This was due to disappearance of 850,000 Bitcoins from Mt. Gox's coffers, priced at around $500 million.
