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Facebook "Suspects" NY Man's Contract Is A Forgery
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 23, 2010
Modified Jul 23, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 23, 2010
Modified Jul 23, 2010
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As its assets remain frozen due to a Western New York man's claim that he owns 84% of Facebook, based on a 2003 contract with the social networking site's founder Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has denounced the allegation. In a statement e-mailed to Wired, a company spokesperson said, "Mark has made it clear that [Paul] Ceglia’s claims are absurd and we strongly suspect the contract is forged."
Ceglia, who lives in Wellesville, NY, says he paid Zuckerberg to create two sites for him, including The Face Book, and was entitled to a 50% stake in the product and an "additional 1% interest in the business for every day after Jan. 1, 2004, until it was completed." Facebook has said the claims are "outlandish," noted that the contract is dated nine months before the company was founded, and insisted the statute of limitations has run out.
Business Insider insider and white collar crime expert Henry Blodget took a look at the contract and writes, "Unless Facebook can easily prove that this contract is a forgery or get the lawsuit dismissed on a technicality, it will likely lead to a settlement that will make Paul Ceglia a very rich man. The Winklevoss brothers never had a piece of paper showing any agreement with Mark, and they got $65 million. It's not inconceivable that Paul Ceglia could walk away with a lot more than that."
What could Ceglia do with that money? Well, he did have that trouble with his wood pellet business.
Tagged
contract
mark zuckerberg
paul ceglia
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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