Roger Ver, a pioneering cryptocurrency advocate and early Bitcoin investor, has called on a US court to drop tax evasion charges against him. He is famous as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ with 745K followers on X (formerly Twitter).
Ver, 45, was arrested in February while attending a cryptocurrency conference in Barcelona. He is facing charges of tax evasion of more than $48 million and submitting false tax returns.
Bitcoin Jesus claimed that the arrest was politically motivated
The charges are based on the sale of $240 million worth of cryptocurrency and an “exit tax” related to Ver renouncing his American citizenship in 2014. Prosecutors are seeking his extradition from Spain, where he is awaiting the court’s decision.
According to report from Bloomberg, Ver’s legal team dismissed the indictment, saying it was a political act. They say it’s the Biden administration’s aggressive approach to cryptocurrency.
His lawyers argued that the charges were part of a broader effort to regulate the sector through enforcement, rather than by explicit policy measures.
Meanwhile, the case has attracted widespread attention in the cryptocurrency industry. Critics accuse the US government of targeting prominent figures in the crypto industry as a deterrent.
“His crime? He committed no crime, but that doesn’t matter in the era of American Justice. What Roger did was promote decentralized technology that would revolutionize and give great power to citizens,” noted author Bret Weinstein write on X (formerly Twitter)
Ver has long been a strong critic of US crypto regulation. He has always advocated for DeFi systems and the adoption of Bitcoin as a global currency.
However, the US government has been successful in prosecuting several prominent figures in the cryptocurrency industry over the past year. This morning, former CEO of Celsius, Alex Mashinsky, pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges.
The government also successfully prosecuted key associates of Sam Bankman-Fried in connection with the collapse of FTX.
Legacy in the Bitcoin sector
Nicknamed “Bitcoin Jesus,” Ver was one of the first to promote Bitcoin when its value was less than $1. He regularly gives out free BTC to his followers to encourage usage. He has also invested in leading cryptocurrency companies such as Ripple Labs, BitPay, and Kraken.
Born in the US, Ver moved to Japan in 2006 and became a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2014 after renouncing his US citizenship.
His arrest by Spanish authorities earlier this year fueled debates about US cryptocurrency regulation and the treatment of industry pioneers. However, this is not his first legal battle. Ver has faced multiple lawsuits from crypto companies, including Genesis and ConFLEX.
