A prominent crypto attorney is taking legal action to uncover one of the digital world’s greatest mysteries: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?
James Murphy, known online as MetaLawMan, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on April 7. His goal is to compel the agency to disclose any documents related to an alleged meeting between DHS agents and individuals believed to be the creators of Bitcoin.
Claims Stem From a 2019 DHS Presentation
Murphy’s legal push is based on comments made by DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud during a presentation at the OffshoreAlert Conference in Miami in April 2019. In her talk—still available on YouTube—Saoud claimed that DHS agents once flew to California to meet with four individuals allegedly involved in creating Bitcoin.
“The agents flew to California and they realized that he wasn’t alone in creating this,” Saoud said. “There were three other people. They sat down and talked with them to find out how this actually works and what the reason for it was.”
Murphy’s FOIA request seeks all notes, emails, and internal documents that may detail that meeting.
“If the interview really happened as the DHS Agent claimed, there should be documentation of the substance of that meeting,” Murphy said in a post on X.
The Lawsuit Aims to Confirm or Debunk the Claim
Murphy acknowledged the possibility that DHS agents might have spoken to the wrong individuals—those who weren’t actually involved in Bitcoin’s creation. Still, he believes the public deserves to know whether the U.S. government has information about Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity.
To strengthen his case, Murphy is working alongside Brian Field, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who specializes in FOIA litigation.
The Freedom of Information Act is designed to promote government transparency by allowing citizens to request access to federal records. If DHS resists the request, Murphy stated he is prepared to “pursue the case to conclusion.”
