Roger Ver Settles US Tax Charges with $49.9 Million Agreement
Roger Ver, known as "Bitcoin Jesus," has agreed to pay up to $49.9 million to settle US tax evasion and mail fraud charges. The settlement includes meeting payment and compliance obligations, such as covering back taxes, penalties, and interest with the IRS.
- The agreement is part of a deferred prosecution deal with federal prosecutors in Los Angeles.
- If Ver complies, the indictment will be dismissed after one month, avoiding prison time.
- The case involved allegations of evading over $48 million in taxes related to Bitcoin holdings before Ver's renunciation of US citizenship in 2014.
- Prosecutors claimed he concealed cryptocurrency asset values during expatriation.
Ver argued that the charges were politically motivated due to his Bitcoin advocacy, but reached a settlement in a changing enforcement landscape under President Trump's administration.
- There has been a decline in aggressive crypto enforcement, with similar policy reversals such as the SEC dropping suits against major exchanges.
Roger Ver was an early Bitcoin supporter, investing in companies like Blockchain.com, BitPay, and Kraken. He played a key role in the 2017 Bitcoin Cash hard fork, advocating for its use in payments and influencing industry perspectives on decentralization and user control.