Bitcoin has crashed below $70000 for the first time since last year, wiping out millions of dollars from the crypto market. In the last 24 hours, the cryptocurrency lost nearly 8% of its value. Per reports, amid the crash, a Satoshi-era whale sold all their bitcoins after 15 years of hodling by dumping 11,000 $BTC worth over $850 billion. The crash brings sore memories of the 2022 BTC crash following the global pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict and later the Israel-Hamas war.
However, the Thursday crash is not specific to Bitcoin. Other cryptocurrencies have tanked, including XRP. While this could only be signaling a crypto winter, the internet is abuzz with a bizarre conspiracy theory that doesn’t make sense without consolidated evidence. As the news of Jeffrey Epstein’s $3 million crypto portfolio broke out, including some email exchanges dating back to 2011 discussing BTC, a section of the internet speculated it could be the convicted sex offender himself, either as the creator or orchestrator behind it.
In defense of the conspiracy theory, two video bites have gone viral.
In one of the videos featuring the late John McAfee, he answers the query “who is Satoshi Nakamoto?” For the unversed, Nakamoto, an anonymous creator (or group of creators), released the white paper on BTC in 2009 without leaving a trace of their identity. McAfee quips,
Doesn’t want to be known, but if you want to find out, I mean, listen, everybody knows who was involved back then…a whole bunch of people were there… Let me give you some clues. In Satoshi’s White Paper, every word that has dual spellings for American and British English is all British. Every sentence is followed by two spaces. Now that is a minority choice in most papers. Now there are only two of the accused who were British and only one of those has two spaces in everyone one of his paper…But he doesn’t wanted to be known. I am not going to name him
Another video that has gone viral is of Dan Pena, who states
“If you knew who was behind Bitcoin, you would run as fast as you could to sell it.”
Jeffrey Epstein invested $3 million into a cryptocurrency start-up in 2014, documents show, suggesting that he had access to competitive Silicon Valley investment opportunities even after pleading guilty to two charges of soliciting prostitution in 2008. https://t.co/EyrEvQGxVw
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 3, 2026
SATOSHI ERA WHALE JUST SOLD ALL HIS BITCOIN AFTER 15 YEARS OF HODLING.
HE DUMPED 11,000 $BTC WORTH OVER $850 BILLION. pic.twitter.com/nNHFUHD203
— Borg (@Borg_Cryptos) February 4, 2026
John McAfee revealed the creator of Bitcoin without directly saying it.
Do you think he was right? pic.twitter.com/E5ZTdtXZIc
— Documenting Saylor (@saylordocs) February 4, 2026
Still can’t get over the time Dan Pena said
“If you knew who was behind Bitcoin, you would run as fast as you could to sell it” pic.twitter.com/Px0rsBwvoI
— Jeremy (@Jeremybtc) February 4, 2026
The conspiracy theories have added to the flurry of memes taking a jibe at the BTC crash. One user remarked, “I did not have “Bitcoin was founded by a pedo cabal” on my 2026 Bingo Card.”
I did not have “Bitcoin was founded by a pedo cabal” on my 2026 Bingo Card.
— John Tuld (@BradHuston) February 4, 2026
A live look at the crypto market pic.twitter.com/qyhR8yq3qv
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) February 5, 2026
Checking on the guys I told to buy bitcoin at $126,000 pic.twitter.com/K9WO9QD0ID
— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) February 4, 2026
The uncle I convinced to buy Bitcoin at $126,000 pic.twitter.com/tPxNgTTyXm
— Bitcoin Teddy (@Bitcoin_Teddy) February 4, 2026
I laughed. Forgive me Bitcoin Bros. https://t.co/JamcDRjR0L
— John Tuld (@BradHuston) February 4, 2026
Dan Pena was right when he said
“if we know who created bitcoin it would go to zero” pic.twitter.com/pD7TB6VnL4
— Gains (@MissionGains) February 4, 2026
pic.twitter.com/Jb6CewB0xI
— Selene Lee 🦄 (@Selene406) February 4, 2026
Meanwhile another video by Dan Pena declares the mystery person behind Bitcoin
Putin
He later clarified and claims its Putin 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/sNVpbayN1s
— GGG 🐸 (@GG315153) February 1, 2026
Lmao! How will cryptobros recover from this?
Cover: Patrick Gawande / Mashable India







