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AP Exclusive: Man named by Newsweek as Bitcoin’s founder strongly denies it

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Dorian S. Nakamoto gestures during an interview with the Associated Press, Thursday, March 6, 2014 in Los Angeles. Nakamoto, the man that Newsweek claims is the founder of Bitcoin, denies he had anything to do with it and says he had never even heard of the digital currency until his son told him he had been contacted by a reporter three weeks ago. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The man Newsweek claims is the founder of Bitcoin denies he had anything to do with the digital currency.

In an exclusive two-hour interview with The Associated Press Dorian S. Nakamoto, 64, said he had never heard of Bitcoin until his son told him he had been contacted by a reporter three weeks ago.

Reached at his home in Temple City, Calif., Nakamoto acknowledged that many of the details in Newsweek’s report are correct, including that he once worked for a defence contractor. But he strongly disputes the magazine’s assertion that he is “the face behind Bitcoin.”

Since Bitcoin’s birth in 2009, the currency’s creator has remained a mystery. The person —or people— behind its founding have been known only as “Satoshi Nakamoto,” which many observers believed to be a pseudonym.

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The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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