Crypto lawyer sues US DHS to uncover Satoshi Nakamoto’s true identity

Crypto attorney James Murphy, also known on X as MetaLawMan, just filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., demanding the release of information that could expose the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the unknown figure behind Bitcoin, according to a report by Crypto In America.

James filed the case in D.C. District Court with the help of Brian Field, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who now focuses on Freedom of Information Act cases. The target is a 2019 public statement made by Rana Saoud, a DHS Special Agent, who claimed during a conference that the U.S. government had already figured out who created Bitcoin.

Rana said the creator wasn’t one person but four individuals, and claimed they were all interviewed by DHS agents in California, where they explained what Bitcoin was and why they made it.

James wants the government to release the identities of those four people. He believes if the U.S. has that kind of information, it shouldn’t be kept secret.

“If the government does indeed have this information, as the DHS Special Agent has claimed, it should not be withheld from the public,” James reportedly said in a statement to Crypto In America.

James pointed out that Bitcoin’s global impact makes this information a public issue, not just a government secret. The lawsuit zeroes in on that 2019 DHS presentation. Rana’s exact words from the event are referenced in the case.

She claimed the agency had both identified and located the creators of Bitcoin, had interviewed them in California, and had heard directly from them about the development and reasons behind it. Despite that claim, DHS has never publicly confirmed those interviews or revealed any of the names.

Lawyer demands transparency from DHS under Trump administration

James says he’s hoping for cooperation under the current Trump administration, which promised more openness from federal agencies. He’s appealing to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, saying she could choose to hand over the information now, without dragging the case through a long court process.

“My hope is that Secretary Noem will embrace transparency in this instance and share this information voluntarily,” James said. “However, if she does not, we are prepared to pursue this litigation as far as necessary to solve this mystery.”

He made it clear he’s willing to go the distance to get the answer. James is not the first to try and uncover who Satoshi is, but this time it’s a legal fight, not just speculation or online theories.

Some in the crypto community have supported the effort, while others believe finding out who Satoshi is could destroy the appeal of Bitcoin—which was built to be free from central control.

The community remains split. Some believe knowing Satoshi’s identity would bring clarity, while others say it could threaten Bitcoin’s decentralized status. If these four creators are real, still alive, and have access to early wallets or private keys, then a major chunk of Bitcoin could technically be controlled. That would punch a hole in everything Bitcoin was supposed to stand for.