5000 USD bought 10% of the world's Bitcoin, ultimately falling for a cat: The most surreal true story in the crypto world
In 2011, an absurd event occurred in the crypto world that seemed unbelievable — someone spent only 5000 USD and acquired nearly 10% of the world's Bitcoin at that time.
Not hype, not a legend, but a solid 371,067 BTC.
The story begins at an unremarkable small company in Tennessee, USA.
This company had started mining Bitcoin early on and accumulated an astonishing amount over time.
One day, an employee suddenly asked the boss:
"Can I buy the entire mining farm and all the coins inside?"
The boss agreed.
Price: 5000 USD.
With this transaction, the person overnight owned 371,067 Bitcoins.
Based on the total amount of Bitcoin at that time, approximately 1 in every 10 Bitcoins on Earth was in his hands.
He later posted a screenshot of his wallet balance on the BitcoinTalk forum, and the entire community exploded.
Everyone was asking: Who is this person? What does he want? Will he crash the market?
Then, he disappeared.
Until during the 2012 U.S. presidential election, the FBI barged in, and the outside world heard his name again.
The reason was even more surreal:
He hacked into PricewaterhouseCoopers and stole the tax documents of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, then extorted the other party to pay 1 million USD in Bitcoin.
He dubbed himself in the ransom letter as:
Dr. Evil — the Evil Doctor.
But what was even more absurd was the way he was caught.
Not because his hacking skills were tracked, not because the transaction left traces, but because —
He had posted a photo of his own cat online.
It was this photo that led the FBI to trace back and accurately locate him, directly capturing him.
In the end, he was charged with 12 felonies and served 4 years in prison.
As for the 371,067 Bitcoins that changed his fate, he claims:
He had long since spent, donated, or lost them all.
5000 USD was roughly the price of a used Honda back then.
What he got in return was nearly 1/10 of the world's Bitcoin.
Ultimately, it was not advanced hacking skills that sent him to prison, but an ordinary house cat.
Some say the most exaggerated part is that he once held 10% of Bitcoin.
Others say the most surreal part is that these coins really just disappeared.
In 2011, an absurd event occurred in the crypto world that seemed unbelievable — someone spent only 5000 USD and acquired nearly 10% of the world's Bitcoin at that time.
Not hype, not a legend, but a solid 371,067 BTC.
The story begins at an unremarkable small company in Tennessee, USA.
This company had started mining Bitcoin early on and accumulated an astonishing amount over time.
One day, an employee suddenly asked the boss:
"Can I buy the entire mining farm and all the coins inside?"
The boss agreed.
Price: 5000 USD.
With this transaction, the person overnight owned 371,067 Bitcoins.
Based on the total amount of Bitcoin at that time, approximately 1 in every 10 Bitcoins on Earth was in his hands.
He later posted a screenshot of his wallet balance on the BitcoinTalk forum, and the entire community exploded.
Everyone was asking: Who is this person? What does he want? Will he crash the market?
Then, he disappeared.
Until during the 2012 U.S. presidential election, the FBI barged in, and the outside world heard his name again.
The reason was even more surreal:
He hacked into PricewaterhouseCoopers and stole the tax documents of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, then extorted the other party to pay 1 million USD in Bitcoin.
He dubbed himself in the ransom letter as:
Dr. Evil — the Evil Doctor.
But what was even more absurd was the way he was caught.
Not because his hacking skills were tracked, not because the transaction left traces, but because —
He had posted a photo of his own cat online.
It was this photo that led the FBI to trace back and accurately locate him, directly capturing him.
In the end, he was charged with 12 felonies and served 4 years in prison.
As for the 371,067 Bitcoins that changed his fate, he claims:
He had long since spent, donated, or lost them all.
5000 USD was roughly the price of a used Honda back then.
What he got in return was nearly 1/10 of the world's Bitcoin.
Ultimately, it was not advanced hacking skills that sent him to prison, but an ordinary house cat.
Some say the most exaggerated part is that he once held 10% of Bitcoin.
Others say the most surreal part is that these coins really just disappeared.