Did Epstein already meet Satoshi Nakamoto? The latest files reveal the darkest origins of cryptocurrency.

The latest Epstein files reveal: Was Bitcoin already on the radar of sex offenders as early as 2011? From Blockstream seed round investments, Ripple internal conflicts and pressure, to self-proclaimed contacts with “Bitcoin founders”—the dark origins of cryptocurrency are surfacing, possibly just the tip of the iceberg that could rewrite the entire industry history.
(Background recap: Bitcoin becomes a battleground: the silent war between the White House and JPMorgan)
(Additional context: Musk taunts Trump again: Who will believe you if you don’t release the Lolita Island files? “American Party” advocates for priority investigation)

Table of Contents

• Was Epstein a “Crypto OG”?
• Did Epstein meet Satoshi Nakamoto?
• Final thoughts

On January 30, the U.S. Department of Justice disclosed the “Epstein Files” in large volume for the first time, immediately sparking widespread attention and discussion worldwide. As we consider whether Musk “went to the island,” Bill Gates’ extramarital affair, or the next Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh appearing on Epstein’s party invitation list, these newly released files also cast a shockwave over the cryptocurrency industry.

The history of cryptocurrency may finally be revealing just the tip of the iceberg and could be rewritten from here.

Was Epstein a “Crypto OG”?

As early as 2011, Epstein had already taken an interest in Bitcoin. That year, Bitcoin’s total annual transaction volume was less than $100 million, and its price once surged past $30 before dropping 90%.

The email below is dated June 12, 2011, near Bitcoin’s price peak that year. Epstein states in the email, “Bitcoin is a brilliant idea, but it also has some serious flaws.”

By 2013, Epstein’s email correspondence shows increased mentions of cryptocurrency.

First, an email from Boris Nikolic (who served as Bill Gates’ chief technology advisor and was listed in Epstein’s will) titled “Who still uses Bitcoin now?” They mockingly discussed Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was arrested that year, saying Ross’s use of a Gmail account with his real name was a foolish mistake.

Steven Sinofsky, a16z board partner and former Microsoft Windows division president, told Epstein in an email that his Bitcoin investments had increased by 50%, sharing an article by Timothy B. Lee titled “How Bitcoin captivated Washington.”

He also received news that the well-known Bitcoin website Satoshi Dice was sold for $11.4 million.

In 2014, Epstein engaged in an in-depth discussion with PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel about the nature of Bitcoin.

“People haven’t reached a consensus on what Bitcoin really is—whether it’s a store of value, currency, or property… like men dressing as women, or property disguised as currency.”

This conversation indicates that Epstein was already familiar with the ideological debates surrounding Bitcoin’s essence in its early days, even drawing an analogy with gender identity.

Another email shows Epstein’s participation in the seed funding of Blockstream, a Bitcoin infrastructure company, which raised a total of $18 million. Epstein’s investment grew from $50,000 to $500,000.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back recently issued a statement denying any direct or indirect financial ties with Epstein or his estate. He explained that Epstein was a limited partner in a fund that held a small stake in Blockstream, but that he had since fully divested.

However, Adam Back and Austin Hill (co-founder of Blockstream) appeared in travel correspondence related to Saint Thomas Island (about 2 miles from “Epstein Island”):

Additionally, in 2014, Austin Hill emailed Epstein and Joi Ito (former director of MIT Media Lab, through whose fund Epstein invested in Blockstream), stating that Ripple ($XRP) and Stellar (a project by Ripple founder Jed McCaleb after leaving Ripple) negatively impacted the ecosystem built by Blockstream and caused harm because their investors were “supporting two horses in a race.”

Interpretations vary in the English-speaking community. Based on context, I personally lean toward the interpretation that Epstein may have also invested in Ripple/Stellar, which angered Blockstream, leading Austin Hill to say in the email, “I was asked by other co-founders to reduce or even cancel your share.”

While the growth of Ripple and Stellar was unaffected, we don’t know if, from then until now, more excellent crypto projects have been secretly suppressed through such behind-the-scenes pressure.

Ripple’s former CTO, David Schwartz, tweeted, “I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist, but if this is just the tip of the iceberg, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”

Does this mean Epstein’s evil also exists in the crypto world? Schwartz also said that for most ultra-rich individuals, having some connection to Bitcoin might be very common.

In fact, between 2014-2015, the collapse of the Bitcoin Foundation left Bitcoin Core developers without stable salaries. MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) began paying several Bitcoin Core developers, including Gavin Andresen, Wladimir van der Laan, and Cory Fields, who then decided to join MIT Media Lab.

At that time, the scandal had not yet been exposed, and the public was unaware of Epstein’s anonymous donations to MIT Media Lab. Joi Ito expressed gratitude to Epstein via email, explaining Bitcoin’s development process and saying that thanks to the money, the lab could “act quickly and achieve great victories,” because “many organizations wanted to take advantage of the situation to control Bitcoin’s development.”

Epstein’s reply was a simple compliment to Gavin Andresen: “Gavin is very smart.”

Did Epstein meet Satoshi Nakamoto?

In 2016, Epstein emailed Saudi royal court advisor Raafat AlSabbagh and Abu Dhabi’s cultural and tourism advisor Aziza Al Ahmadi with two “radical, creative” ideas for creating new currencies. One was a “Sharia Law” yuan, similar to how all US dollar bills have “In God We Trust,” suggesting the Middle East could have its own “Sharia Law” yuan for internal use.

The other idea was to create a digital currency like Bitcoin to make money compliant with Sharia Law. Behind this idea, Epstein casually mentioned:

“I’ve already communicated with some Bitcoin creators, and they are very excited.”

Epstein’s apparent purpose might have been to boast about his connections to enhance his credibility, casually mentioning this, but it could potentially rewrite the entire history of Bitcoin and even the crypto industry. Does “some Bitcoin creators” imply that Satoshi Nakamoto is not an individual but a team? If so, many mysteries surrounding Satoshi could be reasonably explained.

There are even more disturbing questions. Who is this team? What motivated them to create Bitcoin? If Epstein really met them, how did he find out who they were initially, and how did he establish a relationship with them? If Epstein knew who the Bitcoin creators were, would the U.S. government be unaware? Why has the U.S. government remained silent on this issue all along?

After the latest Epstein files were disclosed, the probability on Polymarket that “Satoshi’s Bitcoin address will move in 2026” rose from about 6% to 9.3%, currently holding at 8%.

If Epstein really met Satoshi, it seems Satoshi did not successfully evangelize Bitcoin to him. In an email exchange on August 31, 2017, Epstein responded “No” when asked if it was worth buying a Bitcoin. At that time, one Bitcoin was less than $5,000.

Whether Epstein met Satoshi remains unknown for now. But we do know he met the most well-known Bitcoin bull today—MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor.

Over the years, Saylor’s unwavering buy-and-hold strategy for Bitcoin has been legendary, but in 2010, he was not yet famous for this identity.

That year, Saylor spent $25,000 to attend a party organized by Epstein’s PR firm Peggy Siegal, where he initially displayed traits of “autism.” Peggy Siegal described Saylor as:

“Totally a freak, uncharming, like a drug-overdose zombie. At our party, smart directors sat next to him and his pretty idiot girl, and besides saying he had a yacht and was going to Cannes, there was no other conversation. I took him around, but he was so weird I had to leave. No personality, no social skills—I didn’t even know how to get money from him.”

Being called a freak by a freak shows how bizarre Saylor truly is. Perhaps only a groundbreaking invention like Bitcoin could accommodate such a freak Saylor and build a great career.

Final thoughts

Epstein files are still about half undisclosed. How many more shocking revelations related to the crypto industry might be hidden in the remaining files?

Will time clear the fog?