Fact Check: Does an Epstein email suggest he founded Bitcoin?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the controversies following the release of a massive tranche of files related to the convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein, a claim has been circulating on social media platforms suggesting that the late financier was the founder of Bitcoin. The claim has sparked speculation among many. Let us fact-check its authenticity.
Claim: Jeffrey Epstein was the founder of Bitcoin
Following the backlash over a new wave of documents related to Epstein, a claim surfaced earlier this month after a Facebook post shared a screenshot of an email dated October 31, 2008.
The purported email depicts an exchange between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that said: "Ghislaine, the 'Satoshi' pseudonym is working perfectly. Our little digital gold mine is ready for the world. Funding secured."
The claim was based on the above-mentioned date, which matches the day the still-unidentified Satoshi Nakamoto published a nine-page paper explaining how Bitcoin would function.
Fact Check: The screenshot is not authentic
However, there is no evidence that the email is authentic. The X account that claimed responsibility for posting it described itself as satire. The email addresses and other details in the image also show formatting inconsistencies.
For instance, it displays two separate rows for recipients, in which the second carries the email “gmaxwell@terramar.org,” while the first row is merely a duplication of the subject line, which reads: “RE: Project ‘Bitcoin’ Funding & Whitepaper.”
A search for the email addresses “gmaxwell@terramar.org” and “jepstein@financial.net” did not produce any results in the DOJ database. A search for “Satoshi” in the Epstein Library on the DOJ website returned 23 results, but none included the email shared in the February posts.
However, emails in the DOJ database do indicate that Epstein invested in US crypto exchange Coinbase, as well as Bitcoin infrastructure company Blockstream.
DOJ releases millions of files linked to Epstein
The claim surfaced after the Department of Justice released millions of documents related to the disgraced financier on January 30. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the release also included more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
The disclosure followed weeks of criticism that the department was not complying with a federal law passed in November requiring all Epstein-related files to be made public by December 19.
Numerous individuals listed in the records are mentioned in flight logs, interviews, third-party communications, or ancillary investigative documents without being accused of any criminal activity.
