Cryptocurrency pioneer Roger Ver finds himself in hot water after being arrested in Spain on tax evasion charges. The man once dubbed “Bitcoin Jesus” faces up to 30 years behind bars if convicted of dodging $48 million in taxes on a massive $240 million Bitcoin sale. Talk about a fall from grace.
Bitcoin Jesus faces earthly judgment as Spain nabs Roger Ver over alleged $48M tax dodge on crypto fortune.
The U.S. government isn’t playing around. They claim Ver, who renounced his American citizenship in 2014 to become a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, tried to pull a fast one by hiding 131,000 Bitcoin during his expatriation. Back then, each coin was worth $871 – do the math. The Department of Justice alleges Ver fed false information to his law firm and appraiser, basically painting himself as Bitcoin-poor when he was Bitcoin-rich. The allegations state he submitted artificially lowered values to minimize his exit tax burden.
Ver’s defense team is swinging back hard. They argue the charges are politically motivated nonsense and that cryptocurrency tax regulations were about as clear as mud when all this went down. They’re also taking aim at the IRS exit tax itself, calling it unconstitutional and “impermissibly vague.” Not exactly subtle arguments. Ver’s lawyers specifically assert the exit tax violates the Apportionment and Due Process Clauses of the Constitution. The market capitalization of Bitcoin at the time made accurate valuations particularly challenging.
The plot thickened in December 2024 when Ver moved to dismiss the charges. His legal team claims he acted in good faith, relying on professional advice – you know, the way you’re supposed to. They’re also accusing prosecutors of playing dirty by withholding evidence and improperly interrogating one of Ver’s lawyers. Classic defense moves, but with a crypto twist.
The whole mess centers around a 2017 Bitcoin sale that prosecutors say Ver conveniently forgot to mention to his accountant. When you’re dealing with $240 million in crypto gains, that’s the kind of oopsie that tends to catch the government’s attention. The IRS claims this little oversight cost them $48 million in taxes.
For now, Ver sits in Spain, waiting to learn if he’ll be shipped back to face the music in America. His legal team’s throwing everything at the wall – constitutional challenges, unclear regulations, political persecution claims. We’ll see what sticks.
