James Howells, an IT worker from Newport, South Wales, once held a fortune that many can only dream of—8,000 Bitcoins. Back in 2013, those Bitcoins were worth just $8 million, a significant sum but not enough to anticipate the explosive rise in cryptocurrency values.
However, Howells’ misstep in disposing of the hard drive containing the private keys for those coins has now transformed into one of the most infamous stories of lost wealth in the digital age. Now, after more than a decade of tireless effort, he’s finally walking away from the search, with the Bitcoins still buried somewhere beneath a mountain of trash.
The saga began in 2013, when Howells, in the course of a routine office cleanup, discarded a hard drive that held the private key to his Bitcoin wallet. Back then, Bitcoin was in its infancy, still a largely speculative asset with a modest value. At the time, few could predict how rapidly its worth would climb. The hard drive, containing a digital treasure that would eventually be valued at $742 million, was thrown away in a Newport landfill, never to be seen again.
The documentary will chronicle Howells’ efforts to recover the Bitcoin, the high-tech plan he proposed, and his legal battles. The production will include extensive CGI to bring the story to life and is set to be released in late 2025.
Howells has expressed his excitement about the film, calling it an opportunity to share his journey with the world. “This is the first time I’ve been able to show the world exactly what we want to do at the landfill site,” Howells said. Despite the court ruling against him, he insists, “I’m not giving up the fight.”
For more information see Juliette Dubois “After 12 Years of Failed Attempts, the Man Who Lost His Hard Drive Containing $742M in Bitcoin Finally Ends His Search,” Daily Galaxy, June 4, 2025.
Special thanks to David S. Luber (Florida Probate Attorney) for bringing this article to my attention.
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2025/06/after-12-years-of-failed-attempts-the-man-who-lost-his-hard-drive-containing-742m-in-bitcoin-finally.html