This blog examines a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit compelling the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release records concerning Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.
The lawsuit follows DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud’s 2019 claim that the DHS interviewed an individual claiming to be Nakamoto in California, along with others involved in Bitcoin’s creation.
The paper analyzes the legal basis of the suit, the potential significance of the requested records—including interview transcripts and documents related to Nakamoto’s identity—and the implications for transparency in cryptocurrency development.
The lawsuit seeks to uncover information about the DHS’s alleged interaction with individuals claiming to be the creators of Bitcoin, and the DHS’s knowledge of Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity.
Introduction
Six months ago, an HBO documentary, Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, seeking to uncover the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin, was aired to a mixed reception, sparking renewed debate and speculation within the cryptocurrency community and beyond.
The documentary’s investigation illuminated a spectrum of claims and individuals. Notably, Peter Todd, a Bitcoin developer whom the production appeared to consider a potential Satoshi Nakamoto, subsequently issued a vehement denial of any involvement.
Despite the documentary’s compelling narrative and intriguing exploration, the enigma of Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity remained unresolved. Today, the search for the Bitcoin iconic inventor has taken a new dimension, and this time, it involves a lawsuit brought against the Department of Homeland Security in the U. S. District Court.
James A. Murphy, a US attorney, is suing the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) and its parastatal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the basis of the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552.
Murphy’s action against the Department of Homeland Security seeks to compel compliance to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552,with regards to an interview 1 it conducted of someone who identified as ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ , the name to which credit is often given for the creation of Bitcoin.
The steps taken by the Plaintiff for public disclosure of the requested records are hinged on the following certain critical grounds.
i) The creation of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve by Executive Order on the 5th of March, 2025, by the Trump Administration.
ii) A proposed legislation at the Congress to establish a US Bitcoin reserve operated by the U.S. Treasury.
iii) The growing number of States in US that are considering legislation that
would authorize investing public funds in Bitcoin.
iv) The growing number of public and private companies that have Bitcoin on their balance sheets.
v) Over 100 billion worth investment in U.S. exchange-traded products that hold only Bitcoin.
Background
At the earliest convenience, James A. Murphy submitted a FOIA request to the Department of Homeland Security on the 12th of February, 2025 through the law firm of SCHAERR JAFFE LLP. Marked as Exhibit A in the lawsuit filed against the DHS, the FOIA request indicates
Murphy’s first attempt at obtaining public records relating to the famed inventor of Bitcoin Satoshi Nakamoto.
However, Murphy’s resort to this lawsuit is as a result of the DHS failure to comply with its statutory obligation. Convinced that the DHS has deprived him and the public of vital information, Murphy’s legal motive is to compel the DHS to comply with its statutory obligation.
Did the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Interview Satoshi Nakamoto?
There is a strong likelihood that the DHS interviewed someone who claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto–at least for now!
It was disclosed in the current lawsuit that on the 29th of April, 2019, a DHS Special agent by the name of Rana Saoud delivered a presentation at the OffshoreAlert Conference in North America in which she mentioned that the DHS knows the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.
DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud is strongly believed to have stated that the DHS agents had an interview with Satoshi Nakamoto in California and that there were three other people who claimed to have been involved in the creation of Bitcoin.
In her own words, Rana Saoud stated that:
“One of our agents … he was [a] really, really smart, forward leaning agent, and he goes “I want to go interview Satoshi Nakamoto,” and we’re like “What?” He said, “Yeah I want to go interview this guy.” And at the time, we’re like “Hey, it was a figment of somebody’s imagination, maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not true.”
So, you know, we had all this push back from our headquarters and we thought:
“Hey, if an agent wants to go talk to him and we have some money why don’t we send him? Let’s find out how this works.” So, as it came to be, the agents flew out to California, and they realized that he wasn’t alone in creating this. There were 3 other people. And they sat down and met with them and talked to them to find out how this actually works and what their reason for it was”.
Accordingly, paragraph 31 of the complaint submitted highlights the four categories of records sought by Murphy:
(1) Any transcript of the public statements made by DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud at the Off-Short Alert Conference North America on April 27, 2019.
(2) Records of any interview conducted by DHS of someone named, or using the pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto, including any transcription of the interview, audio or video recording of the interview, notes taken during the interview, or correspondence sent or received that reference the interview.
(3) Records of any interview conducted by DHS of an individual purporting to have created Bitcoin or whom DHS believes created Bitcoin, including any transcription of the interview, audio the interview, or correspondence sent or received that reference the interview.
(4) Records discussing the identity of the creator(s) of Bitcoin.
References:
-
OffshoreAlert, Regulating Cryptocurrencies & ICOs: Security, Commodity, or Currency?, YouTube, at
44:21–45:10 (May 24, 2019), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAOrjlub4Qc (recording of The OffshoreAlert Conference on Financial Intelligence & Investigations (Apr. 29, 2019)
-
See Press Release, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Lummis Introduces Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Legislation (July 31, 2024), https://www.lummis.senate.gov/press-releases/lummis-introduces-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-legislation/.
-
See Jesse Hamilton, North Carolina Joins Growing Number of States Pursuing Crypto Investments, CoinDesk (Feb. 10, 2025), https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/02/10/north-carolina-joins-growing-number-of-states-pursuing-crypto-investments
-
See Bob Pisani, ETFs holding bitcoin are now the crypto’s largest holders, surpassing creator Satoshi Nakamoto, CNBC (Dec. 12, 2024), https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/10/etfs-holding-bitcoin-are-now-the-cryptos-largest-holders-surpassing-creator-satoshi-nakamoto.html
