No one knows who created Bitcoin, all we have is the name Satoshi Nakamoto. So far, no investigations have brought about any substantial evidence on who the actual creator of Bitcoin is. Instead, a number of people claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto have come forward. The most prominent name within this circle is Craig Wright, who named Dave Kleiman as a member of his team in the creation of Bitcoin. Join us as we explore the curious life of Dave Kleiman.



Who is Dave Kleiman?



Kleiman, who was a computer forensics wizard, died in 2013, yet his involvement with Bitcoin and how exactly that happened is still unknown.



Apart from his life in the army and his whispered-about role in Bitcoin’s development, a lot of people hardly know anything else about Dave Kleiman. This might be as a result of some of the circumstances surrounding his growing up.



Not much is known about Kleiman’s biological parents. According to an obituary, he was born in 1967 and was adopted by Louis and Regina Kleiman. Louis is yet to share any information about his adopted late son, and Regina past on years ago.



Wright vs Kleiman



Just recently, Wright was in court to defend himself against the estate of Kleiman. The estate claims that Wright stole Bitcoins that belonged to Kleiman. Wright has denied the allegation entirely.



Craig Wright’s story about being the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto has fuelled the suspicion, and general public interest, surrounding the case. While the estate insists that he took what belongs to Kleiman, Wright denies this claim, saying instead that Kleiman was responsible for hiding the Bitcoin jointly owned by both of them. This, he said, was for the purpose of concealing his (Craig Wright’s) identity as Satoshi Nakamoto.



The events that preceded Kleiman’s dying moments don’t do much to help the case either. If he had that many Bitcoins, why did he not use (sell) them and explore the option of a better hospital. Also, shortly after his death, his Palm Beach Miami County home was in foreclosure. Adding to the mysteries of the curious life of Dave Kleiman.



Kleiman Outside Bitcoin



Kleiman is known to have served in the US army, before returning home in 1990 to work with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office. But his major discipline was in computer science, an area in which he was a true expert.



While in the army, Kleiman had an outstanding career. At the age of 21, he was named the US Army Soldier of the Year. Among other accolades, he also received the US Army achievement medal and a commendation signed by the secretary of the army. The summary of the commendation revealed that Kleiman was indeed an all-rounder, and was good at what he did.



About five years after returning home from the army, Kleiman was involved in a motorcycle accident which left him in a wheelchair. Around this time, computers were becoming increasingly popular, and many believe that this was one of the reasons for his intensified computing activities.



While in the County Sheriff’s office, Kleiman focused on computing forensics. He was exceptional in this discipline and was invited to speak at several conferences. This advanced his reputation and made him even more popular in the computer science industry. The series of certifications that followed Kleiman’s name on introduction earned him the nickname “Dave Mississippi”.



Kleiman was an institution in the industry. He made appearances on top television stations like CNN and ABC. He was a popular name and a stronghold on the topic of computer security and passwords. 40- to 50- character passphrases were common to Kleiman. That is how far he took computer security and password business. He knew it and he practised it.



The Bitcoin Mystery Continues



As the Bitcoin and entire crypto community continues to make efforts in discovering who Satoshi Nakamoto truly is, the name Dave Kleiman will surely keep coming up, even after his death.



Craig Wright lost the case and was mandated by the court to forfeit half of all the investment held with Kleiman before his death. The judge over the case found Wright to be guilty of perjury and falsification of documents, as claimed by Kleiman’s estate. He has been ordered to pay\] $5 billion.



This judgement, though not having any significant impact on the state of Bitcoin today, will represent another milestone in the life of the controversial cryptocurrency. One question that is yet to be answered is whether Wright and Kleiman actually worked together.



Wright claims to have been involved in the curious life of Dave Kleiman as part of the development of Bitcoin, while the majority of the community do not agree with him. Despite the mysteries surrounding the saga, one thing for sure is that there is never a dull moment when it comes to Bitcoin.