Fabricated email suggesting Epstein is bitcoin inventor misleads online

The release of millions of pages from the US government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein has triggered a wave of conspiracy theories, with online posts sharing a fabricated email that indicated the convicted sex offender invented bitcoin. The faked message bore formatting errors and was intended as satire, according to its creator. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of bitcoin’s creator, remains a mystery.

“Satoshi is Epstein,” reads a Malay-language Facebook post shared on February 4, 2026.

It features an image depicting an email from Epstein to his accomplice and ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell with the subject: “RE: Project ‘Bitcoin’ Funding and Whitepaper”.

In the exchange, dated October 31, 2008, Epstein apparently tells Maxwell “the Satoshi pseudonym is working perfectly”.

The date corresponds to the publication of a technical paper introducing bitcoin by Satoshi Nakamoto, whose identity is still unknown (archived here and here).

Similar claims were shared elsewhere on Facebook, Instagram and Threads after the US Justice Department released the latest trove of documents on Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls (archived link).

Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for offences including sex trafficking of a minor after she was convicted in 2022 of recruiting underage girls for Epstein (archived link).

Prior document releases highlighted Epstein’s associations with prominent figures in business, entertainment, academia and politics — such as US President Donald Trump and former leader Bill Clinton.

The mere mention of someone’s name in the files does not, in itself, imply any wrongdoing by that person.

But the documents made public show at the very least connections between Epstein or his circle and certain public figures who have often downplayed — or even denied — the existence of such ties.

Fabricated message
The recent files include several emails and newsletters that reference Satoshi and bitcoin, but the claim that Epstein invented the cryptocurrency is baseless (archived link).

AFP identified several formatting inconsistencies in the circulating image after comparing it with those released by the Justice Department.

The purported email features the subject line “RE: Project ‘Bitcoin’ Funding & Whitepaper” twice. It also features the recipient line twice, one filled out with the subject line and the other carrying the email “[email protected]”.

The domain “terramar.org” is a reference to a conservation group Maxwell founded in 2012 and incorporated in 2013, years after the supposed email exchange with Epstein (archived here and here).

In the official Epstein document archive, Maxwell’s email address is redacted in most of the released records. Epstein’s email address is listed as “[email protected]”.

Searches for “[email protected]” and “[email protected]” on the DOJ website did not produce any result.

The circulating email also lacks the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) stamp that is included in the bottom right of each document released by the DOJ.

The law requires the DOJ to publish all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials in its possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein (archived link).

A subsequent Google reverse image search led to an X post shared on February 2 that included the circulating email with the caption, “Is this true?” (archived link).

In response to angry comments on the post, the account owner replied: “Satire not allowed anymore on X?” (archived link).

AFP has contacted the account owner but no response was forthcoming.

Media organisations France 24, Snopes and Lead Stories also fact-checked the claim.