The U.S. Department of Justice has made public charges against Roger Ver, an early investor in Bitcoin who is widely recognized as the "Bitcoin Jesus." Ver was arrested by Spanish authorities on criminal charges brought by the United States, including accusations of mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns, as announced by the Justice Department in an April 30 statement. The U.S. government asserts that Ver withheld reporting capital gains from Bitcoin and other assets, defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of around $48 million.
According to an indictment filed on February 15 and unsealed on April 29, Ver purportedly managed about 70,000 Bitcoins in June 2017, predating the well-known bull run, and subsequently sold a significant portion of them for approximately $240 million. U.S. officials have expressed their intention to extradite Ver from Spain to stand trial in the United States. Responses to Ver's arrest have been varied on social media, with Bitcoin expert Dan Held, former head of growth at Kraken, asserting that Ver "deserves everything he's going to get" for his alleged actions, which he claims nearly caused harm to Bitcoin.
Held elaborated on his stance, revealing Ver's attempts to dismiss him, negatively impact his livelihood, incite others to damage his relationships, and tarnish his reputation. Held's remarks suggest a contentious history between Ver and himself, with Ver's lofty expectations for Bitcoin allegedly leading to internal strife within the community. Ver has also been associated with Bitcoin Cash, a cryptocurrency alternative. In 2022, he was entangled in controversy with cryptocurrency investment platform CoinFlex, which alleged that he owed them $47 million in USDC. As of the time of reporting, Ver has not publicly commented on the Justice Department's allegations.
