According to on-chain data, Julian Assange’s Bitcoin wallet received $500,000 worth of Bitcoin from a mysterious donor on Tuesday.
Prior to this donation, the whistleblower reached a plea deal with US authorities after five years in prison and was released from the heavily guarded Belmarsh Prison in the UK on Monday.
Bitcoin brings Assange home
Based on blockchain data, a donation of 8.2 Bitcoin ($492,254) was transferred from a multi-signature wallet to Assange’s Bitcoin donation address, as shown on the freeassange.org website.
Earlier on Wednesday, Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder, called on followers for one final financial support, seeking $520,000 to repay the Australian government debt. Assange was banned from taking commercial flights to appear in court on Saipan, and later returned to Australia, requiring funds for the use of the VJ199 charter.
Although as of Wednesday, the family had successfully raised over 78% of the target funds through crowdfunding, the Bitcoin donation received on Tuesday almost covered all the debt expenses.
Assange admitted to a spy charge in court on Wednesday and left as a free man, returning to Australia thereafter. Judge Ramona Manglona noted that Assange’s actions did not “result in any physical harm” after pleading guilty.
Who sent the Bitcoin?
Two men seemingly subtly – although not directly – claimed credit for the donation. One of them is internet personality Andrew Tate, who replied with a gift emoji on Twitter, drawing attention to the transaction.
The online Bitcoin community was skeptical of Tate’s claim, calling for him to personally sign the transaction to prove control of the sender’s address. However, observers later noted that another wealthy individual with a deeper foundation in the Bitcoin community made a subtle claim.
At 5:03 pm ET on Tuesday, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey wrote on Twitter, “Secure through.” This was the exact time the transaction was sent on the chain.
Dorsey’s company Block has launched many Bitcoin infrastructure initiatives. It includes a beginner-friendly multi-signature wallet provider, a mining chip manufacturer, and a platform to buy Bitcoin called CashApp. He has also donated to Bitcoin developers multiple times and holds Bitcoin on the company’s balance sheet.