In a large set of documents released by the U.S. Justice Department, an email was confirmed in which Jeffrey Epstein claimed he had direct conversations with Bitcoin’s founders. The email was sent by Epstein to acquaintances in 2016 and is one of about 3 million files recently disclosed by the department.

On Feb. 1, blockchain outlet Cryptopolitan reported that in the email Epstein wrote, “I spoke with some of Bitcoin’s founders,” adding that they were “very excited” about his new currency concept. The email was sent from Epstein’s personal Gmail account to two Saudi acquaintances, and he described a new fiat currency system aimed at the Middle East region.

Epstein’s plan had two parts. The first was a physical fiat currency aligned with Islamic finance principles. He said he had envisioned a sharia-based currency stamped with religious meaning, similar to the “In God We Trust” phrase on the U.S. dollar. The second was a blockchain-powered “digital sharia-compliant currency.”

In an email dated Oct. 13, 2016, Epstein described his idea as “radical” and added that he was waiting for an official schedule from the Saudi side. The email included a request for confidentiality at the end, but the document has now been disclosed through the Justice Department’s archives.

The email is also reigniting existing speculation that Bitcoin’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto may not be a single person but several. In the email, Epstein used the plural term “founders” rather than a singular expression.

Other emails linking Epstein with early cryptocurrency figures were also disclosed. In 2013, an email Boris Nikolic sent to Epstein shared a Bitcoin analysis piece written by Trent Griffin. The message was also sent at the same time to major technology figures including Bill Gates and Michael Larson.

In the piece, Griffin assessed that Bitcoin was gaining popularity among liberal venture capitalists centered in Silicon Valley and Seattle, while criticizing it by saying, “Bitcoin has no intrinsic value and does not guarantee a stream of future earnings.” He compared it to a speculative “Keynesian beauty contest” and said he would not invest, but expected others would.

An email dated July 31, 2014 from Austin Hill to Epstein was also confirmed to include strong dissatisfaction with investors at the time backing both Ripple and Stellar at the same time. Hill criticized this as “betting on two horses in one race,” arguing it was harming the projects.

It also emerged that differing assessments of Bitcoin by various figures, including the Winklevoss twins, economist Steve Hanke and journalist Kurt Eichenwald, were shared through Epstein’s network. An analysis has also emerged that this shows Epstein was deeply involved in early cryptocurrency debates and investment flows.

Separately, after the documents were released, claims have spread on X, formerly Twitter, linking Epstein to the Bitcoin Foundation, regulators and specific cryptocurrency projects. Some users raised claims that Epstein supported the Bitcoin Foundation and was linked to regulatory pressure surrounding XRP.

Such claims have not been officially confirmed and their veracity has not been verified. Experts note the disclosed emails show Epstein’s claims and possible involvement, but say caution is needed in interpreting them as evidence proving a direct link to Bitcoin’s founders or to cryptocurrency policy decision-making.