The United States Department of Justice announced $50 million tax fraud charges on April 30 against early Bitcoin investor Roger Ver, known by many as ‘Bitcoin Jesus.’
Rojer Ver is an early Bitcoin proponent and the creator of Bitcoin Cash. He has also invested in many crypto start-ups, such as Bitcoin.com, Blockchain.com, Ripple, BitPay, and Kraken.
The Justice Department’s notice said authorities in Spain had arrested Ver based on criminal charges in the United States, including mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns.
The US government claimed Ver defrauded the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Bitcoin and other digital assets held in corporate entities cost them $48 million, which should have been declared as an “exit tax.”
According to the indictment unsealed on April 29, Ver allegedly took control of roughly 70,000 BTC in June 2017. He then sold them later that year for $240 million following the historic bull run.
Roger Ver Gets What ‘He Deserves’
Roger Ver is no stranger to controversy. He became embroiled in a scandal with crypto investment platform CoinFlex, which claimed he owed them $47 million in USD Coin.
He has also made enemies, such as Bitcoiner Dan Held, the former growth lead at Kraken, who condemned Ver on X after he “nearly destroyed Bitcoin.”
“He misaligned expectations around Bitcoin so much that it led to a civil war,” said Held. “He deserves everything that he’s about to get.”
Held said this feud went beyond the public eye; it was personal.
“Roger attacked my livelihood by trying to get me fired, called up others to hurt my relationships, and attacked my reputation,” Held claimed.
“Don’t expect bad people to do good things”
— Roger Ver (@rogerkver) April 25, 2024
What Happens Next?
Ver has not commented on social media regarding the Justice Department charges at the time of publication.
US officials said they planned to extradite Ver from Spain to the United States to stand trial. Ver ceased to be a US Citizen in 2014, however.
The crypto community has been speculating on Ver’s future, in the meantime. Many believe that he will simply settle the case and “move on,” much like ex-Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao after his controversy.
Roger is literally a multi, MULTI billionaire.
I assume he will just settle/plea deal and move on.
Like CZ.
— Altcoin Daily (@AltcoinDailyio) April 30, 2024