Owner of 8K bitcoin lost in landfill threatens to bankrupt local council

[Lucius]

The information that he threw the HDD in the trash is incorrect, his partner did it, so for years everyone has been blaming poor James for something he didn't actually do.

Not to mention that he claims she stopped him from mining more in 2009 because of the noise the laptop was making at night. But in the end, he not only lost the coins he lost his family as both his wife and kids left him, and now probably the whole digging plan is the only thing he has left or cares about.

That man then has a double reason to be sorry for not remaining single in his life, because not only would he not have become a victim of his wife rummaging through drawers and throwing things in the trash, but he would also have more than those 8000 BTC if she hadn't objected to him because of computer noise

If nothing else, he will become an expert in waste disposal and its impact on the environment

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[raumonds]

Well, it's definitely a tough situation for him. But hey, let's hope this serves as a valuable lesson for everyone else to back up their crypto wallets! Can't rely on trash dumps for safekeeping, that's for sure.

[michellee]

It's normal for someone to underestimate something that looks worthless. The story proves that he did not think Bitcoin would be very expensive and even got its highest price at $69k. Maybe more stories like that haven't been published so we don't know.

Yes, it is a valuable lesson for us not to underestimate something that seems worthless. And the most important thing is that we can maintain and back up everything related to Bitcoin, including passwords or whatever. That way, we won't worry if we can't open the wallet on the hard disk because we can open it elsewhere.

If he could get the hard disk, he probably wouldn't be able to access it because it was already in the trash piles. Who knows how it ends but maybe he won't be allowed to rummage through the trash just to find the hard disk.

[TopTort777]

Lol l thought that guy gave up on his lost bitcoins but I guess he didn't. He has no chance to win that lawsuit and what's even worse is that he is dishonest, suing them for the amount equal to the highest value of his bitcoins, like he would sell them at exactly that time and not before. Chances are, he would have sell those bitcoins (or at least majorify of it) long time before 2021.

I think him lashing out at the city council and threatening to sue them doesn't make bitcoin look good.

The only one who ends up looking bad in this story is that guy, not bitcoin.

It makes me smile every time I try to imagine how he is going to search for that disk drive. How the hell he is going to find it? With metal detector? With a huge comb and search in every pile of garbage? By building a sort machine and examining manually every single metal or aluminium piece of trash ? The local bumps have already found his disk drive and sold it on a yard sale for few bucks, or have destroyed it and gave parts to metal collection point.

P.S. that junk yard was a perfect place to "hold bitcoin" Excellent hardware-trash wallet

[Ever-young]

So after how many years this dude suddenly remember his 8k bitcoin stack somewhere and missing due to his own carelessness, if Bitcoin was not worth this fortune that it is now will he have taught of even starting up all this drama right from day one. I believe one of the reason which could be driving him this crazy is as a result of him always running some calculations of how much wealthy he could have been if he have had those bitcoins with him, forgetting the fact that he could have also spent those bitcoins back then when it first hits its first figures which we shouldn’t have seen any of this drama again on the internet. But this guy really don’t know when to say it’s okay and accept the fact that those bitcoins are lost forever and there is no means or mechanism used that could get them back.

[DooMAD]

The information that he threw the HDD in the trash is incorrect, his partner did it, so for years everyone has been blaming poor James for something he didn't actually do.

Not to mention that he claims she stopped him from mining more in 2009 because of the noise the laptop was making at night. But in the end, he not only lost the coins he lost his family as both his wife and kids left him, and now probably the whole digging plan is the only thing he has left or cares about.

That man then has a double reason to be sorry for not remaining single in his life, because not only would he not have become a victim of his wife rummaging through drawers and throwing things in the trash, but he would also have more than those 8000 BTC if she hadn't objected to him because of computer noise

If nothing else, he will become an expert in waste disposal and its impact on the environment

I guess it serves not only as a cautionary tale in personal responsibility, but also a lesson to be careful about who you allow into your life.  It's surprising what a momentous impact they can have if you aren't both on the same page when it comes to money.

Choose your significant others carefully.

[tjtonmoy]

~Snip

Wait what? People are getting creative day by day to prove that they are an idiot. How is he blaming the local council for his lost Bitcoins? Isn't he the one who threw it away without making any actual backup of that thing? And how is he going to prove that he actually lost 8k Bitcoins if he does not have any access to that wallet whatsoever? How stupid can he be?

And why are people covering such news knowing this is all BS? How is one supposed to dig out years-old hard drives buried under all that trash? These people never stop to amaze me. This is pure entertainment. You can not blame someone when you are the one at fault. How any of this make sense?

This just increases the number of questions in your mind. LOL

[qwertyup23]

https://protos.com/owner-of-8k-bitcoin-lost-in-landfill-threatens-to-bankrupt-local-council/

I think him lashing out at the city council and threatening to sue them doesn't make bitcoin look good. wherever his hard drive is, if it's in that trash dump i don't see how even a data recovery expert could get anything off of it. it's probably been crushed, cracked, corroded, etc. lost cause. his big mistake was throwing it away in the first place but that was his fault no one elses. he lost those bitcoin a long time ago. and they're not coming back. 

While I do understand that 8,000 BTCs is a lot of money (like a lot), still, requesting for the City Council to dig up a site may cause environmental effects that can potentially harm others. His mistake of throwing the hard-drive should be construed as negligence on his part for doing such thing. He just cannot blame the government for refusing to dig up on the site on the very same accident he did to himself.

This is just a desperate attempt to at least feel sorry for himself. Assuming that they indeed recover the drive, there is no guarantee that it may work; nor the drive containing all the files in a recoverable position.

[Casdinyard]

Bro is Sisyphus but in reverse lol. He knows deep in his heart of hearts that the ordeal was an impossible one, and even if he were able to claim the hard drive, it doesn't really mean anything since for sure the data is already corrupted from all the rust and stuff that it must've collected over the years. It's honestly just depressing at this point to receive updates from him since he's basically what we don't want to be—Someone who's stuck up on his past, so much that he's making stupid and belligerent acts in the name of bitcoin.

He could've worked his way out of 8000 bitcoins with the time that he's had since 2016, what is he doing instead? Spend unnecessary amount of money over fruitless work.

[Bushdark]

https://protos.com/owner-of-8k-bitcoin-lost-in-landfill-threatens-to-bankrupt-local-council/

I think him lashing out at the city council and threatening to sue them doesn't make bitcoin look good. wherever his hard drive is, if it's in that trash dump i don't see how even a data recovery expert could get anything off of it. it's probably been crushed, cracked, corroded, etc. lost cause. his big mistake was throwing it away in the first place but that was his fault no one elses. he lost those bitcoin a long time ago. and they're not coming back. 

I don't think there is any way he can get his Bitcoin back since he lost the hardware many years ago. He should have look for a way to get the hard drive when the scene was still early. Even though he don't want them to carry out work in the site, how does he think that he will be able to find the hard drive. Even though the hard drive is found, if not burnt, he might not still be able to get his Bitcoin because it would have been damaged and not able to recover the files that are there. I see this as a complain that can not yield any legal success because he can not blame anyone for his lost.

[darkangel11]

I think him lashing out at the city council and threatening to sue them doesn't make bitcoin look good.

I don't agree.
He lost something and is desperately trying to get it back.

If that was a ring made f gold and not a drive with bitcoin, would that make gold look bad? Your approach is very strange.

He really wanted to do something good, he offered to share the coins with the council and they still did not allow him to look for it. I feel like he's overreacting, but his anger is understandable because he's been hitting a wall for years.

[Yaunfitda]

I think him lashing out at the city council and threatening to sue them doesn't make bitcoin look good.

He is just trying to look for someone to blame, a scapegoat to his lost bitcoins that's why he had to do something. But I doubt that it will affect bitcoin negatively, on the contrary, it might highlight bitcoin again. And for those holders, they will really have to protect it at all cost and that be the one guy that will be desperate to search for it because of his stupidity and he should be enjoying it right now as a millionaire. Unfortunately he had to do everything to the point that he has to look for someone to blame including the city council which has nothing to do with BTC.

[coolcoinz]

I don't think there is any way he can get his Bitcoin back since he lost the hardware many years ago.

I agree, but he wants to try, why are they denying him the right to look for it?

He should have look for a way to get the hard drive when the scene was still early.

But he didn't. What's done is done, but he knew about it years ago and wanted to try then but was denied.

Even though he don't want them to carry out work in the site, how does he think that he will be able to find the hard drive.

Doesn't matter, let him try. He's got a special company willing to do the job.

[molsewid]

https://protos.com/owner-of-8k-bitcoin-lost-in-landfill-threatens-to-bankrupt-local-council/

I think him lashing out at the city council and threatening to sue them doesn't make bitcoin look good. wherever his hard drive is, if it's in that trash dump i don't see how even a data recovery expert could get anything off of it. it's probably been crushed, cracked, corroded, etc. lost cause. his big mistake was throwing it away in the first place but that was his fault no one elses. he lost those bitcoin a long time ago. and they're not coming back. 

The thing is he is the one who trash his hard drive not the people who are just doing their work. He need to be reminded that we should be held accountable for the things that we are the one who have done that decision. Even he got the best lawyer in the world he will not win this case because he is the one who initiate it. He are being desperate to something and blame other people, it is understandable that losing bitcoin is very hard and painful but blaming to someone is not the right action.

[larry_vw_1955]

I would have made them an offer to give them 50% of the money, if they gave me access and if I find it and were able to retrieve it.

he could offer to give them 100% of the money they're just not interested. apparently he doesn't get that.

Like OP said.... most hard drives would have been destroyed by this time in such a harsh environment. (rust and corrosive elements) 

you would think. but it's hard to say. for that amount of money, people with very high tech equipment would probably be willing to take a shot at reading off the data. we're talking electron microscope stuff. but he has to get the hard drive first....

[romero121]

This guy have been running for it for long time. The hard drive is very expensive. Atleast the corporation/council could arrange for the search and if they find it, further negotiations can be done. This will surely make way and mutually benefit. Its a big work that could last for years, and any decisions taken at the earliest seems to be good.

Here we can't blame anyone. Just on losing fee dollars worth bitcoin we find it difficult to digest and look for all the ways to get it back. 8000BTC is very big and the same getting added to the network from the idle state will have changes in the market as well. According to me, this will be successful only if any of the billionaire gets into the problem.

[larry_vw_1955]

Do you really think his potential lawsuit could hurt Bitcoin in any way?

well, bitcoiners shouldn't be tying up government organizations wasting taxpayer dollars but this guy seems like he's been pestering that city council for a long time. people don't like people like that. he probably caused peoples' taxes to go up and if he wins this lawsuit they definitely will!

What he doesn’t have, is permission from Newport town council to go digging around in their landfill site; they say that it’s potentially environmentally dangerous and that their permits don’t allow for it.  So for the time being, the wealth is notional.  Mr Howells has given up his job to concentrate full time on trying to organize the operation (and to speculate on conspiracy theories about what the local authority might not want to dig up there).  His relationship broke up a while ago, possibly because he couldn’t stop blaming his partner for being the one to actually throw the hard drive away, and he keeps an app on his phone which reminds him in real time of how much money he doesn’t have.

good example of someone that lives in the past....no one wants him to get his bitcoin back except HIM.  (bitcoiners certainly don't because that would make their bitcoins worth less.)

[NotATether]

What he doesn’t have, is permission from Newport town council to go digging around in their landfill site; they say that it’s potentially environmentally dangerous and that their permits don’t allow for it.  So for the time being, the wealth is notional.  Mr Howells has given up his job to concentrate full time on trying to organize the operation (and to speculate on conspiracy theories about what the local authority might not want to dig up there).  His relationship broke up a while ago, possibly because he couldn’t stop blaming his partner for being the one to actually throw the hard drive away, and he keeps an app on his phone which reminds him in real time of how much money he doesn’t have.

good example of someone that lives in the past....no one wants him to get his bitcoin back except HIM.  (bitcoiners certainly don't because that would make their bitcoins worth less.)

Talk about destroying your life for 8000BTC !

No amount of money is ever worth obsessing over, even if you held it in your hand at one point.

But anyway, running down the city council at the determent of the taxpayers living there is a pretty dick move. Now everyone knows who this guy is, and whose going to claim that he won't get scam letters and extortion if he ever recovers those BTC?

[larry_vw_1955]

I don't agree.
He lost something and is desperately trying to get it back.

story twist: in 2045, bitcoin goes into a price slump down to $1 and the city council finally agrees to let him search for his hard drive but he has to cover the costs...

If that was a ring made f gold and not a drive with bitcoin, would that make gold look bad? Your approach is very strange.

people see people acting a certain way and think all bitcoin people are like that. and they don't want to be like that. losing their money and crying like a baby about it...

He really wanted to do something good, he offered to share the coins with the council and they still did not allow him to look for it.

they probably don't even know what bitcoin is. and all they care about is making sure that landfill doesn't get messed up. isn't that reasonable?

I feel like he's overreacting, but his anger is understandable because he's been hitting a wall for years.

i don't want him to ever be allowed onto that landfill. under any circumstances.

It makes me smile every time I try to imagine how he is going to search for that disk drive. How the hell he is going to find it? With metal detector? With a huge comb and search in every pile of garbage? By building a sort machine and examining manually every single metal or aluminium piece of trash ?

apparently landfills keep records of where they dumped on what dates so if that's the case they might be able to narrow his hard drive down to a particular zone and then figure out how deep it is based on how many dumps happened on top of it since then. that's for sophistocated landfills. but no one really knows if his hard drive ever made it that far. maybe it never even existed at all. it probably did but i wouldn't know if it made it to the landfill.

[Cricktor]

The more I think about it this guy's only hope for sanity is some sort of total amnesia. As far as I remember his story he was very early denied to search for his harddrive at times where it would've been quite likely to find the device intact, at least not yet corroded. With every year of time passed chances grow higher that corrosion destroys data and recovery of those diminishes.

To my knowledge (sorry, no sources) he got investors who gamble for their share of the 8k BTC treasure. Despite all odds there are serious trust issues if he were allowed to search the landfill. Everyone participating in the search likely knows what treasure might be left stored in the search item. Doing all by machines and today's common buzzwords only sounds like sci-fi and you don't want to miss your opportunity, you've got likely only one chance. Yada, yada, yada...

And yes, if he would find the device, could have the data restaured, he'd be such an exposed known person that he'd likely be subject to worse or worst things even if he could keep only a half, third or quarter of the treasure after paying out his investors.

What a sad life's story. Total amnesia and relocation is his only rescue, I guess.