Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange has returned to Australia debt-free after eight bitcoins worth around $500,000 were sent to a fundraising event to cover the costs of his private jet.
According to Alistair Milne, Chief Information Officer of the Altana Digital Currency Fund, an anonymous donor sent 8.0717 bitcoins, worth over $494,000, to the address listed on the Free Julian Assange website.
In addition, Julian’s wife Stella donated £345,992 (US$437,925) to the crowdfunding fund. She and Julian needed $520,000 to cover the cost of the charter flight provided by the Australian government, which would take him to Saipan and then on to Australia.
As part of a plea deal, Assange admitted to a charge of espionage in a court on Saipan on Tuesday. He has since returned to Australia as a free man.
Stella Assange shared the encrypted donation address.
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts had suggested yesterday that Stella accept a more crypto-friendly donation option. Shortly after, she shared the encrypted address on the Free Julian Assange website.
Accepted donation methods included BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, DASH, ZCASH, DOGE, XRP, and MONERO. They raised over $931,000 for the plane, not including funds from other addresses.
The mysterious donor also sent approximately 10.175 bitcoins to another address in the same transaction. This news even caught the attention of Andrew Tate, who replied to Milne’s post with a gift emoji, hinting that he may be the donor.
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